Are Side Hustles Becoming the New Career Lifeline for American Workers?

American working professionals are starting side jobs due to financial instability during these times. According to LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey results from 2018, 31% of American workers have added side work to support their main income that shows substantial job market development today.

A review of American business development staff results indicates they engage in more side work than any other group among 12,698 expert assessments across multiple disciplines. Creative experts tend to seek side projects that fit their fields of arts and design, media and communications, education, and marketing.

Job types have different propensities for people to engage in secondary employment. Quality officers, product developers and engineers strongly prefer working in their primary jobs without taking on further assignments. The results show that the side hustle pattern exists differently between various business fields.

People pursue side jobs for reasons beyond making money since they need social connection. People take second jobs because remote work makes many professionals feel more and more lonely day by day. A 2023 study from Buffer finds that remote workers without enough social contact make up 23% of their total sample and find part-time jobs to solve this problem.

The popularity of side jobs responds to current economic patterns. People turn to side jobs today because they need to develop their careers while adding skills and finding personal satisfaction.