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Best companies to work for part-time

Part-time work is an important option for many people.

You may have caring responsibilities, studies or something else that means you need part-time work to fit around your commitments.

But where do you find a good part-time job?

54% of the companies on Breakroom hire part-time workers.

These companies and the jobs they offer span lots of different industries. It can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start looking.

So we’ve looked at what real part-time workers have shared about their jobs.

Now let’s look at a list of which companies workers have said are the best for part-time work.

The top 10 best companies to work for part-time

  1. 1 Harrods
    8.7
  2. 2 Northern Rail
    8.6
  3. 3 Games Workshop
    8.3
  4. 4 Airbus
    7.9
  5. 5 Network Rail
    7.8
  6. 5 DXC Technology
    7.8
  7. 5 Dorothy Perkins
    7.8
  8. 8 Ann Summers
    7.7
  9. 9 N Brown Group
    7.6
  10. 10 Siemens
    7.5

Want to learn more about these companies and part-time time work? Read on.

How many hours does a part-time worker work?

There are no rigid set hours for part-time work.

As a rule-of-thumb, full-time work is generally considered 35 hours or more a week. Anything below this is thought of as part-time work.

But what are the most common trends in part-time hours worked? Let’s take a look.

We asked workers on part-time contracts how many hours a week they work. This is what they shared:

Hours worked % of part-time workers working these hours
Under 16 6%
16-34 67%
35 or more 20%

As you can see, the majority of part-time workers work between 16-34 hours a week.

But do the hours worked match with the hours part-time workers are actually contracted for?

Additional hours worked % of part-time workers working these hours
Less than 8 67%
More than 8 32%

Part-time workers frequently work up to an additional 8 hours a week. These additional hours are more than they are contracted for.

If you start a part-time job, there is a good chance you may be offered additional hours on top of what you are contracted to work.

It should also be noted that 58% of part-time workers have reported that they do unpaid work.

So if you’re looking for a part-time job, keep the following companies in mind. They pay for any extra time you may end up working:

  • IKEA
  • Aldi
  • B&Q
  • Royal Mail
  • Wagamama
  • Pret A Manger

How much do part-time jobs pay?

As part-time work covers so many industries, types of jobs and shift patterns, there isn’t one set pay rate that covers all part-time work.

So to get some clarity around part-time pay, we’ve looked at some different factors that can affect it.

Firstly, we found the average pay per age group for part-time workers. We then compared them with the legal minimum wage.

Age group Average pay Minimum wage % difference
Under 18 £7.07 £4.55 +55%
18-20 £8.09 £6.45 +25%
21-24 £8.69 £8.20 +6%
25 and over £9.07 £8.72 +4%

As you can see, the younger you are, the bigger the difference between your pay and the minimum wage for your age group.

However, if you compare these averages with the Real Living Wage, it’s the opposite story.

The Real Living Wage (RLW) is calculated on the real cost of living in the UK. As of 2020, this is £9.30 across the UK, and £10.75 in London.

Age group Average pay Real Living Wage % difference
Under 18 £7.07 Only applies to people 18 and over Not applicable
18-20 £8.09 £9.30 -13%
21-24 £8.69 £9.30 -7%
25 and over £9.07 £9.30 +2%

In comparison to the RLW, the average pay for part-time work is lower.

It should be noted, although part-time workers may not be working full-time hours, they still deserve an hourly pay rate that fairly reflects the cost of living in the UK.

Secondly we looked at the pay rates for the companies that hire part-time workers.

The best paying companies for part-time work

Company Average part-time pay rate
Royal Mail £11.53
NHS £11.34
Aldi £10.26
Lidl £9.92
John Lewis & Partners £9.92
Amazon £9.79
Boots £9.45
Sainsbury’s £9.31
Morrisons £9.27
Tesco £9.26

Royal Mail and NHS are the clear winners here. Their average part-time pay rates exceed both the RLW and the RLW for London.

When it comes to part-time pay, it’s really worth looking around at different companies. There might be some similar jobs, where one company pays quite a bit more than another.

The Breakroom verdict on the best companies to work for part-time

There are many reasons why part-time jobs are the only viable work choice for some people. These vary from personal circumstances to what is currently available in the job market.

It’s therefore important that part-time workers are treated fairly.

Most part-time workers actually work more hours than they’re contracted for. The majority don’t get paid for any extra hours they work, and most earn on average under the Real Living Wage.

As such, the companies that employ part-time workers could do a lot to improve their Breakroom Rating. This includes:

  • Increasing the pay for part-time workers, so it is in line with the RLW.
  • Paying part-time workers for any extra work they do.
  • Asking their part-time workers if they’d like to have their contracted hours increased.

There are some outliers that are already taking some of these steps, including Aldi and IKEA. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done to really get the ball rolling.

The data used here is from 12 August 2020

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