Romanians increasingly turning to part-time jobs to supplement income
Over 450,000 applications for part-time jobs have been registered on local recruiting platform eJobs since the beginning of the year, a marked increase considering that the government decided to tax them at the minimum wage level last year.
In addition to the nearly half a million applications for part-time jobs, almost 37,000 applications were made for project-based roles. Both types of jobs account for approximately 15% of the total applications for the period of January to April 2023.
"Beyond the applications themselves, we are seeing a substantial increase in interest in searches made by candidates using the keywords 'part-time' and 'weekend jobs'. While we have seen a growth of over 50% compared to last year for the former, interest in weekend jobs has increased by 200%. These numbers show that for more and more Romanians, their main job salary is no longer sufficient to cover the cost of living, which is why they are looking for ways to earn extra money. The queries made on the platform also indicate an avalanche of applications for part-time or project-based jobs in the upcoming period," said Roxana Drăghici, Head of Sales at eJobs Romania, cited by Economedia.ro.
Half of the over 450,000 applications for half-time jobs recorded this year have come from candidates aged 18 to 24 who either do not yet earn the desired salary at their main job or want to make a career change and try something else for a period of time. The number of applications decreases significantly for candidates over 36 years old, who prefer to wait until they find a better-paying job rather than working in two different places simultaneously.
Another aspect that stands out in correlation with age is the level of career experience of those applying for a second job, as shown by eJobs analysis. Over 80% of applications belong to candidates with no previous professional experience or entry-level candidates with a maximum of two years of experience. On the other hand, the percentage of those with more than 5 years of seniority applying for part-time jobs is marginal.
"We have also noticed that a quarter of applications for part-time positions are for remote jobs, so that candidates can ensure flexibility over their own time and avoid the daily commuting pressure from one location to another," added Drăghici.
Part-time job-seekers may face a tough time finding work. Although the interest of candidates in part-time or project-based work is increasing compared to the first quarter of last year, the number of jobs offered by employers in the market is 10% lower compared to the same reference period.
Most opportunities for those who want to supplement their income through a part-time second job are in the field of arts/entertainment, followed by retail, services, transport/logistics, the food industry, and tourism.
"One of the explanations lies, of course, in the decision to tax part-time jobs at the minimum wage level made in the second half of last year, so what we are seeing now is a continuation of employers' tendency to remain conservative on this subject," said Roxana Drăghici.
(Photo source: Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com)
