Press release written while Assistant Editor for Your Money magazine, published by Consumers Digest
CONTACT: Dennis Fertig/Editor-in-Chief, YOUR MONEY
FOR RELEASE: October 1, 1998
AMERICA’S BEST PART-TIME JOBS
CHICAGO, October 1— There’s no better time than now for anyone looking for a part-time job to find one. Whether it’s the growth of the consumer-services industry or the result of record-low unemployment, which for full-time workers remained at 4.5% in August, it seems like every shop, restaurant, and public-service operation that uses part-time employees has a perpetual “Help Wanted” sign posted in the window. The shrinking labor pool has forced many companies to up the ante to attract—and keep—part-timers by offering them great benefits packages. Part-time employees, once the stepchildren of the workforce, are now being courted with white-glove treatment.
Of course, not all part-time jobs are created equal. To assist those who work part time, YOUR MONEY looks at America’s best part-time jobs in its October/November 1998 issue. It examines such benefits as vacation and holiday pay, health-care and retirement plans, and other discounts and privileges offered by nationwide companies that employ large numbers of part-time workers. YOUR MONEY’s list of the 13 best companies for part-time workers shows that more employers are becoming generous to their part-timers, offering benefits that rival those of full-time workers.
Who Are Employers Targeting? In compiling its list of employers, YOUR MONEY had two age groups in mind—students and retirees. Although part-time jobs of all types are plentiful for workers of all ages, employers are going to great lengths to recruit among these age groups. McDonald’s relies on contacts at high schools and colleges throughout the country to bolster its workforce. It has also added another weapon in its recruiting arsenal: the Internet. The company has set up arguably the best job site on the Web, where applicants can search and apply for positions online. At the other end of the age spectrum, the growing number of retired Americans constitutes a ready labor market for companies looking for part-time help. Hilton Hotels, which once did most of its recruiting at colleges and universities, has begun building contacts among senior-citizen organizations and now posts many of its job openings with the National Council on Aging.
What’s Out There? While most part-time jobs are not exactly cushy office jobs with a desk and a window—other than perhaps a drive-up window—many come with the same benefits that full-time employees receive or can lead to higher positions. At some companies, part-timers receive health care, paid vacation, paid holidays, a retirement package, a stock-purchase plan, and even dental coverage. Some employers offer even more extras to help keep part-timers in the fold. Starbucks, for example, allows all of its employees to take home a 1-pound bag of coffee every week.
The Companies. The 13 companies on YOUR MONEY’s list are: United Parcel Service, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Alaska Airlines, Kmart, The Home Depot, Walgreens, Nordstrom, Hilton Hotels, Dayton Hudson, TWA, The Walt Disney Co., and McDonald’s.
Gene Walden wrote this article for YOUR MONEY.
YOUR MONEY is a Consumers Digest Inc. publication.
