eJobs: Part-time job applications on the rise as more Romanians look to supplement their income

Since the beginning of the year, 1.3 million applications have been submitted for part-time positions, 13% more than in the same period of last year, recruitment platform eJobs said.

A total of 27,000 part-time jobs have been available this year, with an average of 49 applications per position posted. By comparison, the average across all available jobs, including full-time and seasonal positions, is 69 applications per job.

“The increase in the number of applications for part-time jobs shows us that more and more people are looking for ways to balance their income. This does not necessarily mean that they want to give up their main job, but in many cases they are trying to earn additional income without making a major career change. For most people, combining a part-time job with a full-time one is a temporary solution, a necessary transitional stage to get through a more difficult financial period or to make an important purchase,” Roxana Drăghici, Head of Sales at eJobs, said.

Most of the part-time jobs available this year have been in fields such as retail, insurance, services, tourism, finance/banking, the food industry, and call center/BPO.

“Most part-time jobs are entry-level positions, requiring no more than two years of experience, so naturally we find them in sectors that hire large numbers of candidates at this career level. At the same time, these are fields where work can be organized in shifts or flexible time slots, offering more opportunities for people who already have another job, are students, or have other daytime responsibilities,” she added.

Furthermore, 14.6% of these positions are remote, allowing employees to manage their time more effectively. This is the only segment where employers are still maintaining such a high share of remote jobs, as only 4.1% of all jobs posted this year still offer the option of working from home.

The part-time jobs primarily attract people at the beginning of their careers or those with no previous experience. They are followed by mid-level candidates, with two to five years of experience, senior candidates with more than five years of experience, and managers. The sectors attracting the most applications from these candidates are retail, tourism, services, advertising/marketing/PR, the food industry, call center/BPO, finance/banking, and insurance.

The fewest applications for part-time jobs have been submitted for positions in public administration and state institutions, construction, and healthcare.

The economic context is making them more pragmatic about their income, and a second job is becoming an option more and more people are considering.

“We are seeing an increasing willingness among candidates to work in arrangements that do not necessarily involve the standard eight-hour workday. The economic context is making them more pragmatic about their income, and a second job is becoming an option more and more people are considering,” she explained.