Is #ObamaCare turning the US into the “United States of Part-Timers”?

Sure as heck sounds like it. Via Fox Business’ Elizabeth MacDonald:

Part-time work accounted for a whopping 77% of the jobs the U.S. economy created from January through July, according to household survey data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Specifically, this data show that the U.S. economy has created 953,000 jobs so far in 2013. Of that sum, 731,000 were part-time jobs versus just under a quarter, 23%, or 222,000, full-time jobs.

This first-half trend held last year. Based on that federal survey, from January to July 2012, the U.S. economy created 1.4 million jobs. Of that sum, 53% were part-time jobs, 764,000, versus 658,000 or 47%, full-time jobs, reports FOX News analyst Steve Joachim.

While the federal government and the White House are reporting the U.S. economy has been adding on average 200,000 jobs a month so far this year, a closer look at government data shows the majority of jobs created are part-time, lower-wage jobs, typically in the retail or restaurant industry, providing the reason why median household income continues to decline.

A rising number of companies are citing health reform as the reason for the growing part-time workforce (see list at bottom). The new health-reform law defines a full-time worker as one who works on average 30 or more hours per week. Those workers must be given health-care coverage or the employer faces government fines and penalties.

As a result, the U.S. workforce is restructuring toward “29-ers”, companies and economists report, or employees working just under that threshold. An estimated 1,200 companies and a growing number of unions have either sought or won temporary waivers from health-reform mandates.

GOP members of the House Ways and Means Committee report that under President Barack Obama, since January 2009 the country has added seven times more part-time jobs versus full time jobs, a net total of 270,000 full-time jobs versus 1.88 million part-time jobs.

The U.S. now has a historically low labor force participation rate, with 116.1 million full-time workers and a record 28.2 million part-time jobs.

As if this news isn’t depressing (along with the news Phineas wrote about earlier regarding UPS and their spousal health coverage decision that will impact 15,000), the Free Beacon has this report: Number of Long-Term Unemployed ‘Unprecedented’ Under Obama.

The “summer of wreckovery” continues …

I think it’s time for another Beer Summit – and President Obama is NOT invited. First round’s on me …