Bureau of Labor Statistics report wage growth in Dec. 2014 was 1.7 percent, well below the 3.5 percent to 4.0 percent that is consistent with a healthy economy. The number of persons employed part-time for economics reasons, sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers, remained unchanged at 6.8 million. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part-time because their hours had been cut back or they could not find full-time jobs, but factor in the drop in the unemployment numbers.