The rise in part-time workers has continued even after the pandemic, with a growing number of people deciding they would rather cut spending than lose the flexibility offered to them from part-time hours, writes Alana Semuels for Time.

“There’s this reevaluation of how people are spending their time,” said Lonnie Golden, a Penn State Abington economist who studies the part-time workforce. “People are more happy when they choose how to allocate their time, and the things that drive their happiness are recreation and time with friends and family.”

Part of the part-time workforce consists of Baby Boomers who are mostly retired but still want to do some work. But they are not the ones who are driving the trend.

Some workers are refusing to get traditional jobs because they took on caregiving duties during the pandemic for their children or aging parents. Now, they do not want to give up this time that they get to spend with them.

The continued growth of the flexible workforce even in a time of high inflation implies that the shift could be long-term, or even permanent, said Golden.

Read more about the shift toward part-time jobs in Time.

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