Part-time employment is often associated with foregone benefits including corporate discounts, paid vacations days and, of course health insurance. This happens because employers consider that part-time workers do not invest 100% of their time in the organization to reimburse for the high cost of health insurance. However, in the turbulent economic environment of today, there are companies that are interested in offering part-time jobs that combine flexibility with benefits in an effort to attract, but mostly retain hard-working, highly-qualified workers.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/), the jobs/companies that offer part-time employment with full-time benefits are the following:
a) Healthcare Sector
Hospitals and healthcare organizations offer full healthcare benefits because they want to hire highly-qualified employees. For instance, medical assistants receive, besides healthcare coverage, 401k retirement plans, pension, and paid vacation days, while they are also allowed to work flexible hours. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assistant is one of the fastest growing professions today occupying numerous part-time employees in hospitals. Other careers in the healthcare sector that enjoy part-time employment with benefits are nurses, therapists and physicians.
b) Retail Sector
Considering part-time employment in the retail sector is one of the best deals. Because the retail sector is cyclical and highly affected by macro-economic conditions, nationwide retailers are willing to offer health insurance benefits to part-time employees in order to attract and retain them. Prominent examples of retailers that offer their part-time workers healthcare insurance, 401k plans and other benefits are Nike, Nordstrom, Land’s End, Macy’s, JC Penney, Walgreens, Target, IKEA, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and Whole Foods. For instance, baristas at Starbucks who work at least 20 hours per week are eligible for healthcare insurance, 401k plan, legal services, and paid vacation days. Similarly, cashiers at Whole Foods working minimum 30 hours per week with minimum 800 hours in the supermarket chain are eligible for healthcare coverage. And if they stay over a year with the company, they are eligible for 401k plan and 20% discount on Whole Food items.
c) National Delivery Companies
Package handlers at DHL, UPS and FedEx receive full healthcare benefits including dental care, vision care, disability insurance and life insurance for themselves and their dependants. To be fully eligible they have to complete one year at the company and work minimum 15 hours per week. Part-time employees at national delivery companies can also receive 401k plans and paid vacation time.
Overall, situation is changing for part-time employment and employees can enjoy both flexibility and benefits in certain jobs. For instance, besides the above mentioned options, for those who have a teaching experience and can prepare standardized tests for students, test preparation instructor is another alternative for part-time employment with health insurance benefits. Similarly, software companies seek for tech savvy part-time employees and offer them health insurance, among other benefits.
Sources:
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-10_great_part_time_jobs_with_benefits-669
http://www.employmentspot.com/employment-articles/work-part-time-and-get-great-benefits-too/
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2008/12/22/companies-that-give-benefits-to-part-timers/
http://www.listafterlist.com/tabid/57/listid/13806/Jobs++Careers/Part+Time+Jobs+That+Provide+Health+Insurance+and+Benefits++Where+are+they.aspx
Written by Christina Pomoni
Investment Advisor – Freelancer Writer
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