The Advantages of a Full Time Vs. Part Time Position

For some, the flexibility of part-time work outweighs the stability of full-time benefits.

There are a number of benefits to both full-time and part-time employment. Depending on the individual needs of the employee and employer, the differences may not be significant enough to cause great concern. For those who choose a job based on medical coverage or job stability, however, full-time employment may offer more positive benefits than a part-time position would.

Job Confidence Is Achieved Sooner

When an employer lacks the resources to hire full-time workers, adding part-time staff to the payroll is a good choice. Part-time workers are great for lessening the workloads of existing employees, especially when overtime is required to meet business goals.

There are times, however, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, when part-time workers make more per hour than their colleagues. For instance, Computer Systems Analysts who work part-time make an average of $22.46 per hour more than those who work full-time.

Exposure to Clients

In industries such as real estate, where pay is based on the number of units sold or leased, part-time workers must be creative in order to excel at their jobs. If goal-oriented part-time workers network and take advantage of time off to gather clientele, or if they actively seek work during busy shifts, they can still outshine less ambitious full-time workers.

Other supporting evidence of how this works this is visible in the restaurant industry, where servers and bartenders earn more during weekend and evening shifts. This can place full-time workers who cover only slow shifts at a disadvantage, especially if their income is derived primarily from tips and simply being at the "right place at the right time."

More Flexibility

Depending on the nature of the job and the employer, full-time jobs may offer more or less flexibility for the employees than their part-time counterparts.

For example, in a part-time position that requires only weekend and/or evening work, it may be harder to receive time off if you are the only one (or one of the few) scheduled to work that shift. This is especially true if the position is a high-demand field such as in sales or in law enforcement.

In full-time positions, employers often allow employees to work flexible hours, as long as job performance does not suffer as a result.

Medical Benefits

According to the BLS, an average of 92.5 percent of full-time workers (private, state and local combined) had access to medical benefits, while only 25 percent of part-time workers were given the option in 2009.

There are many employers who do offer medical benefits, stock options and other benefits to their part-time workers, but there is still a substantial difference in what is offered to part-time versus full-time employees across the board. 


References

• BLS: Full time vs part time medical benefits
• BLS: Comparison of Hourly Wages