Dive Brief:
- A new CareerBuilder survey discovered that as many as 29% of workers have some kind of side gig that they plan on maintaining.
- An increasing number of millennials, including around 39% of those ages 18-24 and 44% of workers between the ages of 25-34, are working side jobs to support financial and career goals.
- Employers should not be worried that these side gigs will negatively impact employees unless performance issues develop. The CareerBuilder survey indicated that 71% of the workers with side hustles don't plan to leave their full-time jobs to pursue them, and another 76% said they don't want to start a business based on their other gigs.
Dive Insight:
The gig economy has become a mainstream employment topic, and it's an aspect of work that is increasingly becoming the way that many people of all ages bring in extra money and/or fulfill career dreams that their full-time jobs are lacking. Years ago, having a side job or 'moonlighting' was frowned upon, but now employers have certain expectations that their employees are probably earning some cash on the side.
Employers can actually encourage this by allowing their employees the freedom of being creative both on and off the job. Flexible schedules, education, training support and an organizational culture of entrepreneurship can all be ways to recruit and retain workers who fall into this category.
