68% of US workers work multiple jobs due to financial need — Jooble survey

A recent survey by job aggregator Jooble revealed how many US workers work multiple jobs, including full-time, part-time, and self-employment. The survey aims to understand what motivates people to work multiple jobs and what factors may discourage them. It also explores the impact of additional jobs on work-life balance and workers' qualifications.

The survey found that 68.6% of US workers hold multiple jobs, including full-time, part-time, and self-employment. Among them, 50% combine two jobs, 21% have one job, 18.6% have three jobs, and 10.4% have more than three jobs.

Most respondents (65.6%) work several jobs because of financial need. Other reasons include skill development, interest in various fields, search for professional diversification, and labor market instability (in descending order).

For 36.9% of respondents, additional work provides an opportunity to earn more to cover current expenses, an opportunity to try something new (28.2%), an opportunity to save more money for the future (24.1%), and more stability (10.8%). Furthermore, 64.8% of respondents considered working multiple jobs to be a way to develop their skills.

The majority (70.9% of respondents) indicated that having multiple jobs does not prevent a positive balance between their professional and personal lives. They can successfully combine multiple jobs and their life outside of work. 19.4% of respondents said that they did not notice any impact, while 9.7% said that multitasking makes them tired and negatively affects their lives outside of work.

Regardless of the results above, most respondents (63.6%) face difficulty balancing work and personal life. In addition, the main problems are (in descending order) fatigue and exhaustion, the difficulty of entirely devoting oneself to each job, and the risk of burnout.

Jooble also surveyed those who work only one job about their motivations. The main reason for working one job is to maintain a better balance between work and personal life (28.6%). Other important reasons include lack of time (22.4%) and satisfaction from one job (15%). A small number also cited other reasons, such as health problems, lack of opportunities, difficulty holding multiple positions, etc.

81.7% of respondents understand combining several jobs will benefit their financial or professional situation. Therefore, 65.5% plan to find another job, 23% do not plan, and 11.5% are unsure.

The biggest barrier to having multiple jobs for the majority (60.8%) is the lack of opportunities. Then, the votes were divided between fear of overwork (14.5%), satisfaction with the level of income (12.4%), and family or personal problems (12.4%).

Increased financial needs (40.7%), an attractive job offer (34.2%), and improved working conditions (19.2%) may encourage people to work multiple jobs. Respondents also noted that remote work opportunities that allow multiple jobs to be combined on a schedule would encourage multitasking.

Jooble analysts conducted the survey based on the answers of 1,081 American workers between March 12 and May 15, 2024. Jooble surveyed specialists from the hotel and restaurant sector, education, IT, production, construction, agriculture, medical, logistics, finance, etc. The questionnaire was anonymous and consisted of 15 questions with suggested answer options. The possibility of expressing opinions on some questions was also included. Respondents over the age of 18 took part in the survey. The statistical error of the sample does not exceed 3%.

About Jooble

Jooble is an international job search website that millions in 67 countries use daily. The website aggregates thousands of job openings from various sources on a single page. According to SimilarWeb, it is one of the top 10 most popular employment resources in terms of traffic in the Jobs And Employment segment. The company has been operating in the online recruitment market since 2006.