Across the U.S., a growing cohort of part-time workers are pushing for full-time positions—a trend that's historically been a tell-tale sign of economic stress. Here's the uncomfortable part: these are exactly the workers who get squeezed hardest when recession sets in. They lack job security, minimal benefit buffers, and become expendable the moment companies start cutting costs. This rising underemployment metric isn't just labor data—it's a market signal. When economic downturns hit, forced sellers emerge from the most vulnerable positions. For those tracking asset classes during cycle transitions, watching this demographic shift matters. It's the canary in the coal mine.