A report released Tuesday from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco examines the rise of underemployment and the challenges facing workers in Phoenix.
During a roundtable held in Phoenix last year, the Federal Reserve invited about 20 employers, nonprofits, community groups and government entities to discuss the underemployed, people with part-time jobs who want to work full-time.
In 2014, Arizona had the third-highest rate of underemployed at 29 percent. They are more likely to be living in poverty and rely on public assistance to make ends meet.
Many roundtable participants raised concerns about the lack of jobs in low-income neighborhoods and inadequate public transportation for people to work in other parts of the city and Valley. Many part-timers also struggle to find affordable child care. The report — which included roundtables in Seattle, Honolulu and three regions in California — also found some employers choose to hire part-timers to avoid paying benefits.
It concludes that local economies could see greater efficiencies and improved outcomes by having sectors like workforce development, housing, transportation, child care and education work together rather than in silos.
According to a 2014 U.S. Census Bureau report, part-time workers were just as likely to be living in poverty as the unemployed.
