Full-time and Part-time Jobs : Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages

In today’s rapidly changing world, people have more flexibility when choosing between part-time and full-time jobs. There are many differences that we can discuss between part-time jobs and full-time jobs. Many people prefer to do part-time jobs, and many prefer to do full-time jobs, depending on their choice and comfort. Both options have unique advantages and disadvantages that are completely dependent on one’s choices and lifestyle goals.

What is a Full-time Job?

A full-time job is also known as a permanent job role where the companies hire the employees and expect them to have a long and lasting association. Most companies expect their employees to work 5–6 days a week, and this totally depends on the company’s work and schedule. A full-time job requires the employee to be present between working hours and working days. It provides more benefits to employees when compared to part-time employees. Also, full-time employees are expected to take on more responsibilities and work more responsibly. Full-time jobs are sometimes more daunting when the employee already has too much on their plate, and in that case, they can prefer part-time jobs over full-time jobs based on their interest. Employers always show more trust in full-time employers when we compare them with part-time employees.

Advantages of Full-time Jobs

• Steady Income: When you work as a full-time employee, you get a fixed income every month or year, and the employer is also obligated to pay mandated tax and pension contributions along with reward bonuses. The most important benefit of working as a full-time employee is financial security.
• Paid leaves: Full-time employees are also entitled to paid leaves that include sick leaves, casual leaves, and earned leaves. However, this varies from company to company and country to country.
• Fixed work schedule: Full-time employees have a fixed work schedule, like working hours and working days.
• Career growth: In full-time jobs, the employees get many chances for career growth, as most companies promote the best performers when compared to part-time jobs. Companies conduct IJPs and quarterly or yearly appraisals so that their employees can perform better and contribute to the company’s growth.
• Employees enjoy more perks and benefits: In full-time jobs, the employees enjoy more perks other than salary, like health insurance, gym memberships, shopping discounts on brands in partnership, coupons, and many more.
• Better pay: Full-time employees are paid more when compared to part-time employees as they work for more hours, and this is especially true in higher positions.

Disadvantages of Full-time Jobs

• Work-life balance: Full-time employees always find it difficult to manage their work schedule and personal life and due to their engagement at work, they do not give more time at work.
• More work and managerial stress: Full-time employees do more work, and as they spend a lot of their time at work, the company always expects them to complete most of the tasks. And in higher positions, they get more responsibilities and managerial tasks, which makes their work schedule more complicated and directly affects their work-life balance.
• Boring work schedule: A full-time employee’s work schedule can get very boring sometimes as they have to remain present between their shift hours, which sometimes gets harder to manage for some employees.

What is a Part-time Job?

A part-time job is one where the employees do not have to remain present for long working hours, like in a full-time job, and these employees are not eligible for all the benefits that full-time employees get. There are no rules or guidelines that state the number of working hours in the case of part-time jobs. However, this is totally dependent on the employer. Part-time jobs are mostly deadline-based jobs, i.e., the employer expects the employee to complete the provided task within the time provided for the particular task. College students also do part-time jobs, and in some cases, it makes things harder for them as they fail to give proper time to their studies. However, this is not a tough task for a highly motivated and organized person to manage their work and study time. Part-time jobs are mostly contract-based and valid for a fixed duration.

Advantages of Part-time Jobs

• Flexible work schedule: Part-time employees do not have any fixed working hours as it is totally dependent on their tasks, and most employers also give their part-time employees the flexibility to work split shifts.
• Easier to gain experience: Part-time jobs are more helpful for students or freshers who do not get full-time jobs easily to gain some experience by doing part-time jobs or internships. Sometimes, the employer also converts them to full-time employees on the basis of their performance and consistency.
• Skill Development: Part-time jobs are most helpful for college students or freshers, as part-time jobs do not require you to work for an 8–9-hour shift, so college-going students can also make the time for these jobs and learn new skills from the work. However, sometimes it might also affect studies and other schedules, but surely it helps later in building a professional career.
• Network building: Part-time jobs are also helpful for the employees (freshers or college students) in building their professional network, which can later help them succeed in their careers.
• Boosts your resume: Job experience is crucial for any job role, and having prior work experience helps the candidate stand out from the other candidates, which also increases the chances of selection when the candidate has some skills and experience in the same field.
• Money management: The value of money is understood when one starts to earn, and then we understand budgeting, saving, and smart spending, which are very helpful in later phases of life.

Disadvantages of Part-time Jobs

• No extra benefits: Part-time employees do not get benefits like health insurance, sick leave, holiday pay, etc. So, if you get ill someday, you will not be able to apply for leaves, and if you take leave, you do not get paid for that.
• No paid leaves: Part-time employees do not get any paid leaves just like full-time employees do, and when they take any leaves, their salary gets deducted. However, there is no such rule from the government’s side, and it totally depends on the employer whether they want to provide the leaves to their part-time employees or not.
• Lack of job security: In part-time jobs, there is no job security as most companies hire part-time employees for a particular time period, and since these jobs are target- and deadline-based, the employer has more right to discontinue or continue the employee’s employment, and in some cases, the employer can decide this on the basis of performance as well.
• Incur more cost in training: Part-time employees sometimes cost more to the company as they are hired for a particular time period, and in some cases, employers have to invest in their training and development sessions. 
• Effects study: When any college student starts a part-time job, they do not get proper time for their studies as part-time jobs do not have a specific time period, and sometimes that job might require more time, which directly affects their performance as well as their studies.

As we discussed some of the points in the difference between full-time jobs and part-time jobs, as a conclusion, we can say that every employer or company can have both types of jobs as per their requirements, as most of the jobs do not require the employee to be present all the time in the workplace. This can also help the company manage the cost of hiring full-time employees, as full-time employees are usually costlier than part-time employees. From the employee’s point of view, this option can be better, as they can manage their work-life balance.