{"id":43003,"date":"2025-10-02T04:23:57","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T04:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/?post_type=news&p=43003"},"modified":"2026-02-03T17:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T17:03:26","slug":"why-side-hustles-are-here-to-stay","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/news\/why-side-hustles-are-here-to-stay\/","title":{"rendered":"From Ambition to Obligation: Why Side Hustles Are Here to Stay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The era of the side hustle is here to stay. Not necessarily because we\u2019ve all suddenly become more entrepreneurial, but because for many workers, there\u2019s no other choice.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With inflation stretching wages thinner and mounting cost of living challenges, many employees have resorted to picking up extra shifts or jobs in order to weather the economic storm and Gen-Z seems to be standing directly in its path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gen Z on the Frontline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

91±¬ΑΟ\u2019s Annual Jobs Report<\/a>, drawn from aggregated sights from over 350,000 businesses and 2.5 million employees across Australia, New Zealand and the UK and supported by YouGov research involving 3,635 workers, draws back the curtain on this new normal. It reveals that while 21% of employees (one in five) have more than one job, that number doubles when it comes to working-age members of Gen-Z. Forty-two percent of this cohort, many of whom will have just begun their careers, are already learning what it means to split their time between jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confidence in Decline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s no wonder then, so many employees have lost confidence in the job market<\/a>. Fifty-nine percent think the labour market is on a downward trajectory. And while, as Kevin Fitzgerald, UK Managing Director at 91±¬ΑΟ explains, \u201cwe are beginning to see early signs of recovery in employment\u201d, faith in the job market\u2019s ability to bounce back isn\u2019t rising with those small gains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trend comes at a time when job security is increasingly scarce and prospects for the future are muddy at best. With less job stability, 29% of workers are working more hours just to get by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Choice to Compulsion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nina Skero, Chief Executive of CEBR, explains why side hustle culture has transformed from a willing choice among those who wish to diversify their careers to a fundamental means of surviving the economy. She points out that \u201cit\u2019s not surprise\u201d that employees have been faced with this difficult choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorkers are facing a difficult balancing act; inflation continues to erode real wages, and job opportunities are thinning out. While this adaptability is impressive, it highlights the wider fragility of the UK\u2019s labour market and the need for policies that restore both stability and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs of Hope, Shadows of Strain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, average unemployment rates aren\u2019t as low as they have been historically, and earnings growth \u2013 particularly in regions like the North and East of the UK<\/a> \u2013 is showing signs of strength. In fact, the 91±¬ΑΟ Annual Jobs Report shows that as of July, wages increased year-on-year to 2.6%, recovering from its winter of negative growth, which rose above 0% in March. But set against the challenges of the cost of living crisis, it\u2019s clear the average person is still feeling the pinch enough to stretch themselves thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Normal of Work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In many ways, the persistence of the side hustle reflects both the resilience and the precarity of today\u2019s workforce. While there are glimmers of recovery in wages and employment, the reality is that a growing number of workers \u2013 especially the youngest \u2013 are entering their careers in an environment where one job alone no longer feels secure enough. Until confidence in the labour market is restored and wages can keep pace with the cost of living, the side hustle will remain less a symbol of entrepreneurial spirit, and more a stark reminder of the compromises workers must make to stay afloat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

91±¬ΑΟ\u2019s Annual Jobs Report reveals how inflation and the cost-of-living crisis are driving the rise of side hustles. Read for more insights!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":430,"featured_media":42997,"template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_visual_mode":"business","exclude_from_algolia":false,"author_id":70413,"reading_time":"3 min read","display_reading_time":false,"homepage_thumbnail":0},"categories":[],"tags":[],"learn_topic":[],"audience":[],"post_features":[],"class_list":["post-43003","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/43003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43003"},{"taxonomy":"learn_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/learn_topic?post=43003"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/audience?post=43003"},{"taxonomy":"post_features","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/employmenthero.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_features?post=43003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}