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Side jobs popular among younger employees

According to a new CareerBuilder survey, 29% of workers have a job on the side. Workers in the health care (30%), sales (30%) and IT (27%) industries are most likely to have a second job. Survey taker, consultant, freelance writer, house sitter, and blogger are among the most prevalent ones.

When it comes to different age groups, the Millennial generation is most likely to have a side gig, with 44% of 25-34 year-olds and 29% of 18-24 year-olds having one. As employees get older, the percentage that works a second job decreases. For people aged 35-44 the percentage is 29%, for 45-54 year-olds it's 22%, and only 19% of those aged 55 and over have more than one job.

Although side jobs are more prevalent among lower income levels, nearly one in five workers who earn more than US$75,000 a year have a job on the side. For those who make over US$100,000 per year, the percentage is still an impressive 12%. A third of workers making less than US$50,000  , and 34% of workers earning below US$35,000 indicated to have a second job.

According to the survey results, managers with team members who have jobs on the side don't need to worry. Despite the fact that eight in ten workers said they are not in their dream jobs, and 44% say they don’t think they ever will be, most respondents do not intend to jump ship. 71% of respondents said they don't want to turn their side job into their day job and 76% don’t plan to own their own business in the future.

The data was collected online from over 3,200 full-time workers in the private sector across industries and company sizes all across the United States.

Commenting on what might motivate such a large number of workers to take on a second job, Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder, said:

“Side hustles not only provide financial benefits to workers, but they make them more attractive candidates to employers, especially in a competitive job market".

She added: “When you’re applying to jobs, especially when you’re at the start of your career, other applicants could have more experience in your particular field. If you bring more skill sets to the table and have a unique perspective on how things can be done, you’re sure to stand out from the crowd and be seen as a valuable potential hire.”

ALSO READ: Are your staff moonlighting?

Photo / 123RF 

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