Economic inactivity and the rising cost of out-of-work benefits are high on the UK government’s agenda right now. But new research into working patterns during the COVID furlough scheme suggests that both employers and the government could be missing a trick in this area by not making part-time working easier and more available.
While a quarter of the UK workforce already works part-time (90% by choice), currently 22% of the working age population is economically inactive, which means neither employed nor looking for work. But recent figures show that more than two thirds of economically inactive over-50s who want to return to work, want to do so part-time.
