The high cost of living is leading many Americans to leave their comfort zone and, whether it is being a virtual assistant, delivery or practicing a trade, more and more people are choosing to find a secondary job to make ends meet.

The high prices of food, goods, services, credit card debt payments and inability to save are not only causing many households to cut their budgets, but also prompting them to look for other income alternatives; It is for this reason that secondary jobs have had a strong boom since the pandemic.

According to ZipRecruiter data collected in a recent survey, it revealed that more than 35% of American respondents have a second job, a much higher percentage than that recorded during 2020 and the end of 2022.

In this regard, ZipRecruiter economist Nicole Bachaud commented that this trend has been growing due to the fear of many of losing their main job due to how tight the labor market has been in recent years with large waves of layoffs, which is why she noted that “having an extra income is simply a way to prepare for a hypothetical scenario,” she said.

For its part, an analysis developed by Omnisend indicated that more than 50% of Americans who have a secondary job do so to obtain extra income and be able to cover basic needs.

But, according to Bankrate, this mentality of having multiple incomes is occurring mostly in Generation Z, since 34% decide to start a business, unlike 22% of baby boomers or 31% of millennials, and not necessarily because they are going through financial difficulties.

Even ZipRecruiter data found that high-income workers are looking for second jobs or doing side gigs, compared to those with low incomes.

Finally, in the Omnisend report it was learned that people with secondary jobs, for example in the technological area, earned up to $1,000 per month compared to delivery workers or content creators.