trend to part-time jobs, feedback sought

[gvstn]

3. It is very common for businesses which offer health benefits

To keep most employees below 40 hours. They only provide benefits to full time workers so they hire mostly part timers. I think there are laws that dictate the maximum hours an employee can work and still be considered part time, so the businesses keep them just under that threshold.

To be honest I can see the business' point of view. Health benefits might be $600+ per month for a full time employee. It is significantly cheaper to have two part timers to do that work. And with the way health care cost keep escalating that $600 goes up every year.

I'm guessing full time work is still available at smaller companies that don't have a written policy on health benefits. ie. If your son got a job at a local guitar store that only had a few employees he might get a 40 hour job with no benefits. The owner could decide a year or so later that he was happy with your son's performance and decide to give him benefits to keep him.