Is part-time bad?

I read an article this week scaremongering that the recession was leading to an increase in part-time workers and that this was somehow a bad thing. Sure, employers creating new full-time jobs would be good for the economy but is it really so terrible that in being cautious about committing to full-time posts they end up helping people create portfolio careers instead?

The days when part-time work only meant low-paid, low-skilled jobs for students, immigrants and bored housewives are over. We're now in the era of the professional part-timer and professional portfolio careerist. Projects I'm working on currently, for clients I'm proud to be working for, employ highly skilled professionals on fractional contracts - and why not?

My portfolio career happens to currently include some elements of part-time employed lecturing work. I do this alongside consultancy work and running my own business. I don't do the teaching for the money, I do it because it's important to me. I wouldn't actually want to do it full time so it's ideal and I get to use a wide variety of skills across my portfolio that it would be challenging to combine in a single role.

It's time to forget the stigma associated with part-time work and make the most of our capacity to develop lots of skills in lots of areas and use them well.