Part-Time.ie by Jane Downes

Jane Downes is a Chartered Accountant by background and spent 10 years working full-time in practice and multi-nationals. Jane took a part-time role to accommodate family life for 10 years. She then realised there was no platform to help find part-time work, yet she knew so many experienced mothers who were not working as they could not find roles to fit in with family life. Equally with innovation and technology, most roles can now be done in less hours so employers can save money by employing people on a part-time basis. ‘It seemed like a win-win to me and I love the challenge of matching the right candidate with the right job’

Part-time.ie was launched in January 2018 and is a cost effective recruitment platform specialising in part-time and contract roles across Ireland. As we approach full employment, finding quality candidates for roles has become increasingly difficult and by offering reduced hours, you can tap into a highly skilled, experienced talent pool so you get the talent you need at a reduced cost. ‘We have a platform where employers can advertise roles and, due to demand from existing clients, we now also offer a recruitment and contracting service in the finance and admin sectors’ said Jane.

Working part-time allows parents, in particular, but also many others seeking better work life balance the opportunity to continue working for longer, deriving not only financial benefits but also maintaining confidence, skills, their network and overall well-being.  Research identifies part-time workers as the most productive in the workforce, so it is time employers measure performance based on output rather than hours worked.  We know that more women leave third level every year than men.  Yet they are way under-represented in senior roles as many have left the workforce long before that due to lack of flexibility.  Our employers are finding fantastic candidates as they recognise the contribution that the right candidate can make, even in reduced hours.

‘The EMPOWER Programme have been a fantastic support by allowing me to throw out ideas and get really good and constructive feedback, all the time building your confidence that you are making the right decisions. Also I got to meet with experts in different fields so I have gained so much knowledge on a practical level over the year. It is great now to have our network of entrepreneurs all with very different businesses but facing similar challenges along the way so we can really support each other and will continue to meet even though the Progamme has finished’.

Check out https://part-time.ie/