Americans are side-hustling at rates not seen since the Great Recession

2008 called, and it wants that second job back.

The share of US workers who hold multiple paying gigs rose to between 5.3%-5.6% over the first five months of this year, a range last hit during the Great Recession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Data from other sources show an even higher rate of side-hustling:

• Roughly 4 in 10 millennials and Gen Zers have side jobs, according to new research by Deloitte.
• 52% of respondents to a recent Indeed survey said they have side hustles, though the poll counted those who occasionally freelance for Doordash, Uber, etc.
• Around one third of Americans make extra money outside of their main job, according to a 2024 Bankrate survey.

The type of side-hustle is changing, too. Passion projects in the spirit of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (where everything’s made up and the money doesn’t matter) are falling by the wayside, as more Americans turn to second jobs to make ends meet, according to experts.

• Many who work multiple jobs also say they’re bracing for a potential upcoming economic downturn by padding their finances, and ensuring they’ll still have a source of income in the event of a layoff.

Zoom out: The US job market has shown remarkable strength in recent years, with consistently low unemployment. But some economists say data beyond the headline numbers reveal that it’s become “drastically harder to find a job” over the past six months.