A recent report from the UKCES shows some changing trends in the way we’re choosing to work.
It’s no secret that most of us want a little more of a work life balance. More and more of us getting a little tired of the 9-5 and want to get a little more out of life! The fact that larger numbers of us are choosing either to work part-time as part of a job share is why we started this site in the first place.
Those of you that have been following our blogs will know, for the most part, that a lot our articles address women’s issues and things that will affect women in the workplace. The main reason for that is that there are nearly 3 times as many women working part-time than men in the UK (5.85 million women vs 2.11 million men). That might all be set to change however…
A report published on the 6th of April by UKCES (UK Commission for Employment and Skills) has given a surprising insight into the way men are choosing to work. Men who are looking to gain a better work-life balance are now choosing to work part-time. Between now and 2024 we’re expecting to see the number of male part-time workers rise by about 20%, that’s nearly half a million more men striving for a better work-life balance!
While the Part-time market will still be largely dominated by women, this seems to be the first sign that we’re going to see that change.
At least in part, what this seems to be accredited to is the right to shared parental leave. It’s taken a while and men seem to be slow on the uptake, but the shared parental leave seems to finally be gaining some traction. This coupled with men making more of an appearance in typically female job roles seems to be helping this shift in the way we think about work.
As more men begin part time roles and the type of work both men and women are doing is every diversifying, the pool of jobs that will be shareable will continue to grow. More part-time working men is actually great news for us all!
So with part-time working numbers rising and employers being more open to the idea, it’s always worth asking if a role is available on a job share basis! Even if the job you’re looking for isn’t advertised as job share, it’s worth asking if it could be. If you want a few tips on how to apply for a job share or requesting one, be sure to check out our previous blog here.