 | The examples and perspective in this articlemay not represent aworldwide view of the subject. You mayimprove this article, discuss the issue on thetalk page, orcreate a new article, as appropriate.(June 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
.jpg)
Aside job, also informally called aside hustle orside gig, is an extrajob that a person takes in addition to their primary job in order to supplement theirincome. Side jobs may be done out of necessity when a person's main job does not provide sufficient income to support them, or simply out of a desire to earn more money or to try something interesting. Working a side job is also referred to asmoonlighting, usually when it is performed after regularbusiness hours. A side job can be afull-time job,part-time contract, orfreelance work, and a person can hold more than one side job.[2]
A "day job" is defined as work a person does "to earn money so that [they] can do something else that [they] prefer but that does not pay [them] much money."[3] Side jobs are typically tasks that can be completed on a part-time or freelance basis at the same time as having a day job. Examples includecopywriting,ecommerce (such as selling products onAmazon),affiliate marketing, providingsocial media marketing services, freelanceweb design, foreign language lessons or translations,tutoring orcoaching,graphic design, freelance writing, andbusiness management.
Side jobs have become more prevalent in theUnited States because ofwage stagnation and lowwage growth that have not kept up with the risingcost of living.[4] Working a side job imposes a burden since it lengthens one'sworking hours. In a 2023 survey, nearly 39% of Americans reported having a side job,[5] with 57% of New Yorkers needing one to make ends meet,[6] and a third of U.S. adults said they required a side job to pay for basic household expenses.[5] In theUK in 2019, 60% of students and graduates reported having a side job, and 43% required it to payrenting expenses.[7]
The most common reason workers take on side jobs is to obtain additional disposable income.[5] The side job can also be a means to pay offstudent loans, or to use one's creativity in ways normally not available in the traditional workplace.[5][8]Millennials were the most likely to have a side job, often to provide a financial "safety net",[9] leading them to be labeled the "side hustle generation".[8] However,Gen Z has surpassed Millennials as the generation with the highest rate of working side jobs.[10]
Soham Parekh, a software engineer fromMumbai, became a news story in 2025 for holding so many side jobs withSilicon Valley startups that he was a "serial non-sleeper".[11] He illustrated the grueling lifestyle of a remote worker whose large collection of side jobs comprised a higher paying, albeit unsustainable, substitute for a single primary job.[12]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
