Looking for a job, but don't want to spend 40 hours a week there? You may be in luck. Employers are hiring more part-timers, and the positions aren't just entry-level minimum wage jobs! Mom Jessica Smith bowed out of her corporate career for more quality time with her 3-year-old son Tucker. "I have eight years professional experience in business development, marketing and recruitment," she explained. So when she set out to find a part time job, she demanded the best of both worlds. "I was looking for something flexible and family friendly and it's important that I retain a professional title," she told us. Now she works 20 to 25 hours a week as an executive at a new social shopping network. While you may not think of a 'corner office' gig as part time, a growing number of agencies actually specialize in that type of professional work. One of those companies is '10 Til 2', which currently has over 14,000 jobs. Jill Ater works for the company. She says the average placement is 16 hours per week. "We're finding part-time works almost across all industries from a small home-based business to a large corporation," Ater explains. Part-time is not just retail and fast food anymore. It's everything from law offices to construction…insurance to accounting companies. Employment expert John Challenger says the trend goes beyond parents looking for time with their kids. "In a tough economy, some companies are more open to hiring part-timers because they don't want to hire that full-time person, but they have that work in front of them that needs to be done," Challenger says. He adds, "Part-time work allows people to explore new fields, to basically not be tied down to one single place." That's the appeal for attorney A.T. Kippes, who initially scaled back to be with her ailing father. But even when he got better, she decided to look for a firm with more flexibility. "People are realizing now that they want to have a life outside of work, and not just work 60 hours a week," Kippes says. When you give up hours, you may give up other things too. Only 32 percent of part-timers in the private sector have access to retirement benefits. The number drops to 24 percent for health benefits. And there are other challenges too. "The biggest thing is that you're not always there to answer the phone when somebody calls, so you have to let the people you're working with know, 'these are the days I'm in, these are the times I'm in," Ater says. Jessica communicates her schedule and couldn't be happier. She gets to be with her son, and values her extra time. "Working part-time from home, I am able to pursue what I am passionate about, and that's social networking, blogging," Jessica says. And working fewer hours allows A.T. to teach a paralegal class. Does less time in the office make her less of a lawyer? "I think it actually makes me a better attorney because I am not tired and burned out," A.T. explains. Challenger says the tight economy can be a double-edged sword for workers. While companies are more likely to hire part-timers to save cash, those workers may also be the first to be let go when downsizing occurs. In addition to the specialized part-time companies, mainstream companies are also adding part-time positions to their searches.