- the Office for National Statistics
The prolonged recession in the U.K. forced an extra 1 million people into working fewer hours than they want, a study from the Office for National Statistics showed Wednesday. The total number of underemployed workers soared to 3.05 million or 10.5% out of a total workforce of 29.41 million. The figure rose by 980,000 during the four years of the recession, which started in 2008. The biggest rise in underemployment took place between 2008 and 2009, and since then it has been only increasing, however, at a slower pace. The link between low pay and underemployment may explain why underemployment rates are higher for younger workers, as 22% of workers aged 16-24 were underemployed in 2012, compared with only 10% of workers aged 35-49.
"During this period many workers moved from full-time to part-time roles and many of those returning to work after a period of unemployment could only find part-time jobs," the statistical office said. "Of the extra one million underemployed workers in 2012 compared with 2008, three-quarters were in part-time posts."
"Recruited to set up a research centre, the expectation had always been the part-time job would convert into full-time employment. The recession has changed that hope," said Caroline Parre, an academic from Birmingham.
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