1 Retail positions such as cashier, stocker, sales clerk, etc. Retail establishments are open twelve to eighteen hours per day with many being open round the clock. Different times of the day are busier than others so it makes sense to use part-time people to augment the full-time people during these times especially when these times don't come in eight-hour blocks. Business also fluctuates by season, by time of week or month (grocery stores have more business on weekends than during the week, stores in areas with large numbers of people receiving Social Security or welfare benefits will see more business at the beginning of the month when Social Security and welfare checks are mailed than during other parts of the month) so having part-time workers whose schedules can be changed weekly helps with scheduling to accommodate periods of fluctuating demand.
2 Positions in the fast food and restaurant industry such as cashiers, waiters/waitresses, bus boys, dishwashers, hamburger flippers, etc. Business for companies in this industry fluctuates according to time of day, day of week and monthly. Restaurants are very busy during meal times but tend to be slow between meals so there is no need to be fully staffed all day. Also, especially in the fast food industry, people looking to work in these establishments generally want part-time work as they are going to school, care for children when school is out or generally don't want full-time work. This makes this industry another good one for part-time work.
3 Bank tellers. Here again, there are certain times of the day and certain days of the week that are busier than other so staffing fluctuates. Some banks do hire full time tellers and have them work a split shift say 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for early morning and lunch hour business. Then leave and return to work from say, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the after work crowd. Many people don't like such a schedule, thereby making this type of work a logical candidate for part-time workers.
4 Car washes. This is basically pure physical labor with no future in terms of a career. The hours are attractive for young people in high school or college looking to make some money but not work full-time.
5 College work-study programs. These are generally make-work type positions funded by the Federal Department of Education as a type of college financial aid. The student has to qualify for financial aid but the criteria is more liberal than for Pell Grants (free money from the taxpayers) or Federally subsidized student loans. The work hours are limited to 19.5 hours per week maximum and are scheduled to accommodate student's class schedules. Work varies but is usually light office work in college departments.
6 Temporary staffing agencies. These are companies who provide workers (usually office clerical work or labor positions) to companies on a short-term basis (anywhere from one day to several months). The companies need people to cover for workers who are on vacation or sick leave or to fill a vacant position until a permanent replacement can be found. This is part-time work in the sense that the worker can usually specify times they are not available and can turn down assignments that don't fit their schedules. However, the work day itself is usually a normal 8 hour day.
7 Bookkeeper for small businesses. This is moving up the education/skill ladder somewhat and the job sometimes requires being in business for yourself. The possibilities here are to work part-time for an accounting firm keeping the books of small business clients. Be hired as a part-time employee of one or more small businesses to work a couple of days a month or so balancing their books. Or, start your own business as a freelance bookkeeper and limit the number of clients you take on to fit the part-time hours you want.
