How Many Hours Is A Part Time Job

Different part-time jobs have different work hours and numbers of work hours per week. There is no exact standard to say how many hours a week is considered a part-time position. Sometimes, your employer may decide whether you are a full-time employee or not, or your employment status will change with the number of hours per week you are supposed to work.

What Is a Part-Time Job?

Usually, a part-time worker has to work fewer hours per week than a full-time employee. Therefore, most people consider a part-time job to be a job that requires lesser work hours per week. The way employees are classified is up to the employers to decide, as stated by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

There are many legal definitions for part-time work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: workers who work less than 35 hours a week are considered to be part-time workers.

According to the Internal Revenue Service: employees who work more than 30 hours per week or more than 130 hours a month are considered full-time workers.

According to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: the same 30 hours per week standard is used.

Company policy also has a say in who is considered to be a part-time worker

The company policy of your employer will most definitely have a clause that defines a part-time employee. This policy will be the deciding factor for the number of hours per week part-time employees work.

Some companies such as Amazon have three categories of workers as

• Part-time workers - work 20-29 hours
• Reduced-time employees - work 30-39 hours
• Full-time employees - work 40 or more hours per week

The difference between full-time and part-time jobs

It isn’t easy to put a finger on the exact number of work hours per week because the traditional 40 hours per week full-time schedule is now changing in many places. Some employees request employees to work fewer or more hours depending on the type of industry.

There is no proper definition of full-time employment in the Fair Labor Standards Act. But it does allow overtime pay for covered employees that work 40+ hours a week. Employees who are part of the gig economy are not considered here. They can be either self-employed individuals or independent contractors.

Here’s how part-time job work schedules work

There are no fixed rules for scheduling part-time work hours. Depending on your employer’s preferences, the workdays and hours for your position will be arranged in advance. Most employers will define these days and hours on the job posting itself. In some cases, the part-time work schedules are flexible. These are arranged by the employer on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

When you want to find the number of hours per week for your position

You should find out everything you can about the work schedule and work hours for your part-time position before you agree to work with your employer. For this, you can,

Review the job description

The job posting will, in most cases, specify the flexibility of the work schedule and the days of the week you must work. It will also mention the expected number of work hours per week.

Define your availability

You can state your availability when applying for a part-time position. Most employers who are looking for part-time workers are flexible and often arrange their work around the schedules of students, parents, and workers with other commitments.

Inquire at the job interview

If the job description did not specify it, you can ask your interviewer about the work schedule and number of hours. Be prepared with a list of your available days and times to arrange a schedule with your interviewer if they offer the chance.