Secretary of Labor Robert Reich has written extensively on the dilemma of the American worker in a global economy. TIME associate editor Janice Castro recently talked to him about the trend toward a contingent, or temporary, labor force.
Q. A lot of people were heartened by the employment figures released this month because so many new jobs were being created. But most of those jobs were part-time positions.
A. Yes, 90% of the new jobs we created in February were involuntary part-time jobs. These were people who would rather be full-time workers.
Q. One-third of all American workers now have part-time,...