More People Take Extra Jobs Amid Financial Struggles

For Most Multi-Job Workers, The Rent’s Still Too Damn High
Some 57 percent of global workers do not have savings that would keep them afloat during a period of unemployment, and working multiple jobs is no guarantee of financial stability. Not a single one feels financially comfortable — only 39 percent of multiple-job-holders report feeling that way.

In countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, the situation is more dire still, with 78 percent to 84 percent saying they can barely make ends meet every month. From a regional perspective, the Middle East and Africa experience the highest rates, with 70 percent of workers claiming they’re unable to set anything aside after each pay period.

The primary motivator driving people to take on additional employment is to make ends meet. This is particularly true in the Middle East and Africa, where 34% work two or more jobs. And in Latin America and Asia Pacific, that figure is 24 percent. And in Europe, believe it or not, in wealthier countries like Switzerland and Sweden you see the same trend of working multiple jobs — for very different reasons.

Poland: A Unique Case
Though, from what I read, Poland is doing much better than elsewhere on that subject. But those workers there are less likely to have the flexibility to take on outside work. Of Poles who have more than one job, 53 percent are doing so to afford nonstandard expenses, and 42 percent are saving for the future. And 33 percent do additional work to develop new skills and experience.

Polish women and those over 55 years of age are, in general, more likely to have second jobs for economic reasons. Despite the pressures that are familiar in other parts of the world, Poland is one of the better off countries for the average multiple-job worker.