Coronavirus: Part-time jobs plummet by almost 70%

Kalila Sangster
·3 min read
A middle-aged woman with dark hair using a health mask on the London Underground metro system during the Coronavirus outbreak
The decline in the number of part-time jobs available is most likely to affect lower-income workers and women. (Getty)

Part-time employment in the UK has fallen at its fastest rate in over eight years with a 69.4% loss in part-time vacancies in the past 11 weeks, a study has found.

Part-time work now only makes up 0.9% of the jobs currently available in the UK, according to the latest research by job search engine Adzuna.co.uk.

However, demand for part-time and temporary jobs has surged as many people have lost their jobs and incomes as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Searches for ‘tutor jobs’ have increased by 235% month on month, as workers look for additional sources of income during the COVID-19 lockdown.

There has also been a 650% month on month rise in interest for positions such as Amazon (AMZN) delivery drivers as consumers turn to online shopping during lockdown. Tesco (TSCO.L) drivers have also seen a notable increase, rising by 125% month on month, as shoppers opt for online deliveries.

Interest in ‘part-time NHS’ positions has grown by 26% as calls for key workers continue.

READ MORE: ITV furloughs 800 staff as ad sales dive

The decline in the number of part-time jobs available is most likely to affect lower-income workers and women. The average part-time wages are 22% lower than full-time wages when calculated by the hour and women make up just under three-quarters of part-time employees in the UK.

Across all sectors the UK has lost 57% of vacancies in the past 11 weeks, with hospitality, energy, graduate, property, and trade and construction the worst affected industries.

Hospitality and catering has lost 83% of all advertised vacancies after pubs, bars, and restaurants have been forced to close for the past seven weeks.

Graduate positions are down by 76%, losing 11,278 advertised positions. Almost two-thirds (63%) of university students due to graduate this summer have had their job applications paused or withdrawn because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent YouGov survey.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Ikea plans to reopen all 22 UK stores

Trade and construction jobs have seen a 72% drop in advertised vacancies, losing 32,865 jobs. These figures come as the purchasing managers’ index reading from IHS Markit’s closely watched survey of the sector hit record lows in April signalling a collapse of 'historic proportions'.

"Widespread site closures and business shutdowns across the supply chain meant that vast swathes of the construction sector halted all activity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tim Moore, economics director at IHS Markit.

Travel jobs have fallen by 60% with with travel restrictions and lockdowns across the globe hammering the airline industry. Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to slash over 3,000 jobs and British Airways said 12,000 workers could face redundancy.

Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said: “The drop in part-time vacancies is alarming and will spark concern for many workers across the UK, who will rely on part-time work to manage their family or other personal commitments while receiving a stable income.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Factory orders for Europe’s biggest economy tank 15%

“The downfall in vacancies is reflective of the economic uncertainty felt across the UK right now as we continue into our seventh week of lock-down.

“However, we are starting to see vacancies in countries such as Italy and Germany make a slow but notable recovery this week as lock-down restrictions ease, so we hope to see similar improvements in the UK if regulations ease in the following months.”