UK Under-employment

The number of men doing part-time work because they cannot find a full-time job has more than doubled in the last four years, according to a new study.

The TUC said almost 600,000 men were working part-time in December while looking for full-time positions, compared to 293,000 at the end of 2007.

Latest official figures have shown that 1.4 million workers and self-employed people work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment, the highest figure since records began in 1992.

People living in the east of England have been hit by the biggest increase in under-employment over the past four years, with the number of men "trapped" in part-time jobs more than trebling to almost 60,000, said the TUC. Its analysis of official figures showed that the North East, Northern Ireland and London also experienced sharp rises in involuntary part-time work. Areas of the UK with the most people doing part-time work because they cannot find full-time jobs include London (198,000), the North West (152,000), the South East (141,000) and the West Midlands (132,000)

 TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said:"Virtually all employment growth is coming from part-time and temporary jobs but most of the people taking them want and need permanent, full-time work. "Any job may be better than no job at all but people are having to make huge salary sacrifices to stay working. This is bad news for family finances"