Nearly half of U.S. workers — 47% — said they polywork, or hold multiple jobs or roles at one time rather than depend on a single primary employer for income, according to a June report from Monster.
In this survey of more than 700 U.S. workers, 51% say their additional monthly income from polyworking is “absolutely essential,” and they couldn’t cover basic costs without it, Monster found.
Sixty-eight percent of workers said they needed the extra money to cover living expenses, while 47% said it fosters financial independence and flexibility, 46% said it helps pay off debt and more than one-third said it provided a safety net to help guard against insecurity in their primary job.
About half of those who polywork have a full-time time job and one or more part-time jobs. Meanwhile 28% have multiple part-time jobs and 12% have more than one full-time job, with 59% of respondents saying they’d be willing to work more than one full-time job.
The normalization of polyworking
Workers expressed mixed feelings about the effects of polywork on their productivity and job performance. While 29% said it’s been beneficial, 31% said it’s been detrimental.
Looking ahead to the future, 38% of workers plan to keep working multiple jobs to achieve their career goals. In contrast, 31% consider polywork a temporary solution while they figure out their career path, and 26% said long-term polywork would negatively affect their mental health.
Facing economic anxiety, 64% of workers said they plan to get a second job or start a side hustle in the next year to boost their income, according to a recent American Staffing Association report. The same publication showed that nearly 1 in 5 respondents said their savings could cover less than a month of expenses, while another third said their savings could last for one to five months.
What this means for HR
Generation Z workers, in particular, are turning to side hustles to create financial cushion and build skills, according to a Quicken report. Only half of those with multiple sources of income have told their full-time employer about their side hustle, per the report.
As more employees polywork, some companies are asking employees what they do with their time or using productivity tracking software and email monitoring tools. One expert who previously spoke to HR Dive said employers should set clear productivity goals and make sure workers meet them rather than fire them or try to control employees’ lives outside of work.