Firms failing to utilise flexible workers pool

Fewer than a third of job adverts list flexible working options even though more than half a million people are looking for part-time work, according to a new report.

The number of adverts mentioning flexible work has only increased by 4% in the past year, research suggested.

Flexible working group Timewise said the number of people working part-time to fit in with issues such as caring responsibilities or ill health has increased from 5.8 million in 2017 to 8.4 million this year.

Its study of six million job adverts found that three in 10 listed any kind of flexible working options, while part-time work was mentioned in 12%.

Despite the shift to working from home as a result of the pandemic, Timewise said only around one in eight adverts offered hybrid working.

The report said four people were now chasing every part-time job.

Emma Stewart, co-founder of Timewise, said: “Part-timers represent a deep, hidden pool of talent.

“Many are skilled and experienced. However, trying to attract them without including parttime options within the wording of your job ad is like going fishing without a net.

“If more employers tried offering quality jobs as flexible from day one, not only would they widen and diversify their talent pool, but they could help contribute to raising the living standards of thousands of people.”

Louise Woodruff, senior policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which helped with the research, said: “This analysis shows the profound mismatch between the jobs people need, want and can deliver productively, and the jobs employers are offering by default.

“When we know that many employers are struggling to recruit, parttime and flexible work is something many more should be open to and our government should be supporting.

“Work should be a reliable route out of poverty, but too often it isn’t due to a lack of flexibility.

“This excludes many skilled and motivated people who need to balance work with other responsibilities or work flexibly due to ill health.”