Part-time jobs are always there and around, even before the Global COVID-19 Pandemic and the Great Resignation began. They have their own perks; part-time jobs are quite flexible in time management and a good source of additional income. But now, when many jobs are shifted to remote-working and hybrid schedule, more flexible than they used to be, then are part-time jobs are still relevant?

Well, the short answer is yes, it’s still quite relevant. There are still many kinds of full-time jobs that can’t be converted into part-time jobs, even during pandemic situation. That’s why part-time jobs have their own segment, needs, and category in the job market. 

Here are some basic things you need to know about part-time jobs, especially for students & fresh grads, or for you who want to switch career into a more flexible job.

What is a Part-time Job?

You only work for a couple hours in a day, and you usually get paid in hourly or daily rates. That’s a part-time job, in general. According to the Ministry of Manpower, part-time employees work less than 35 hours in a week. Part-time jobs provide the employees with the similar entitlements as full-time employees, but on a pro-rata basis.

They are mostly suitable for young parents, students & fresh graduates looking for extra cash (or working experiences), retirees, and any other individuals who have the need to have more time & energy to do other activities besides doing a main full-time job. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a person with no main job, to do a part-time job.

What is The Difference Between Part-time Job, Internship, and Freelancing?

If you are new to the job-seeking experience, a part-time job is actually a full-time job with less working hours. Many part-time jobs are not requiring previous work experience. 

Freelancing is a type of independent job that you can get from certain someone who need a work to get done, or from a company; usually it’s a project-based & required previous working experience or a portfolio. Internship on the other hand, is a type work-and-training job, usually for students or fresh grads who has no working experience, and can be treated as an activity to prepare them for the actual work – it’s for a short period of time, and sometimes they also get paid.

Are all those 3 counted as jobs? Yes. They are different on the concepts and work types, but they do provide you with working experience and income.

Benefits & Drawbacks of a Part-time Job

The benefits of part-time jobs are:

Time flexibility

Part-time employees usually work in shifts. You can always switch schedule with your colleagues, if it’s needed. 

Work-life balance

Less working hours mean more free time to do other activities. You can arrange the working shifts so that you still have time be with your family, or to drive & pick-up your kids at school, or to avoid missing classes if you’re still at school or college, even to spare some free time to hang out with your friends during the day, or go to the gym. 

Opportunities to get additional income

Less working hours at one place means you can get another set of working hours at another place, right? You can still do some freelancing jobs during your free time. Or even do another part-time job. Who knows, maybe doing 2 proper part-time jobs can get you better income than doing a full-time job.

The drawbacks of part-time jobs are:

Less pay

Surely if we compare it with a full-time job, the pay is different. 

Possibilities of conflicting schedule

If you have a main job and a part-time job, it’d be a bit challenging to juggle your daily work schedule.

Less job benefits

Some of the companies prorate the benefits/allowance between part-time jobs & full-time jobs, and some other don’t provide any bonus or healthcare benefits at all.

Less job security

Once in a while, if the business is not performing well, companies are likely to laid off part-time employees first, before taking any other cost-efficiency decision.

Part-time Jobs in Singapore

For fresh-grads, part-time jobs offer rates at SGD 8/hour, for a total less than 35 hours a week, in average. There’s a various type of roles available for part-time jobs, such as; business operation support, business admins, accountants, drivers, customer service operators, teaching assistants, retail assistants, etc.

Key Takeaways

Part-time jobs are still relevant in 2022. They are suitable for any individuals who are looking for additional income and/or have free time during their daily routines. Even though they do provide working experience, part-time jobs are the not the same with intern jobs and freelancing jobs. 

Part-time jobs have their own perks compare to the full-time ones, but also have their own drawbacks. If you’re planning to tandem part-time jobs with your main full-time job, be careful with workload allocation & time management, to avoid conflicting schedule.