Why More Workers Are Juggling Two Jobs, from Rising Costs to Career Goals

For some, it’s about keeping up with rent. For others, it’s a chance to test a dream career without quitting their day job. Here’s what’s behind the rise in workers holding more than one job.

As of September this year, about 9 million Americans have more than one job. That’s 5.5% of all those employed. The numbers, courtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed a slight increase from last year’s 8.8 million. And more than half of those workers juggled a full-time job with a part-time one.

The increasing trend is driven by several reasons, according to Forbes, beginning with financial pressures, but the story doesn’t end there. Here are the reasons many Americans are tackling more than one job.

Stretching a Paycheck Further

The most obvious reason is to be able to cope with rising prices. In a Federal Reserve survey, 58% of adults said rising prices had made their finances worse, and 17% said they worked more or took another job in response.

Another pressure point is the cost of housing, which ate more than 30% of the income of nearly half of renters in 2024, according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Others are also taking on extra work to help relieve debt or build an emergency fund. Forbes notes that a second job tends to work best when the money has a clear purpose, like paying off one specific balance or reaching a savings goal.

Some workers also use the second job as a backup plan, preparing for layoffs, restructuring, and automation that may affect the security of their main job. That second income makes them less reliant on just one employer.

Building a Career on the Side

But not every person who gets a second job is after financial security. Some do it to develop new skills, try out a different industry, or grow their professional network, alongside a first job that primarily pays the bills.

It’s also more common these days, especially among the younger generation, to take on multiple jobs. A study from Intch, a platform that connects professionals with part-time roles, analyzed more than 142,000 career histories and found that 59% of Gen Z and 64% of millennial professionals juggled multiple roles, compared with about 29% of baby boomers. The trend, termed “parallel work,” used to be taboo, but that’s slowly changing.

For others, it’s about enjoying their freedom. “Having multiple income streams means I never have to turn down an acting or creative opportunity because I’m worried about paying rent,” voice actor and copywriter Carissa Ferguson said in a 2025 Fiverr survey.

Before You Say Yes

While it would seem like a second job is a profitable way to augment one’s income, it’s not always the case. So it’s best to tread carefully and do the math before agreeing to take one on.

Forbes outlines this example: a 10-hour weekend shift at $18 an hour earns $180 before taxes, but after spending $25 for commuting and parking and $40 for childcare, it nets just $115, or $11.50 an hour. Taxes matter too, since working more than one job can affect how much you owe.

Another important factor to consider when taking on a second job is the risk of burnout. About one-fourth of workers in a 2025 poll said they had already experienced burnout before hitting 30. As Forbes notes, “a second job that leaves you too tired to perform well at the first one can cost more than it pays.”

The key is to know what the extra work is meant to accomplish, whether that’s making ends meet, paying off debt, or trying out a new career path.