Side job

A side job, also informally called a side hustle or side gig, is an additional job that a person takes in addition to their primary job in order to supplement their income. Side jobs may be done out of necessity, when one's income from their main job is insufficient to support them, or simply out of a desire to earn more income. Working a side job can also, informally, be called moonlighting, usually when it is performed after normal working hours. A side job can be a full-time job, part-time job, or freelance job, and a person can hold more than one side job.

Rideshare driver is one of the most common side jobs[1]

In the modern day, side jobs have been gaining in popularity in America due to stagnating wage growth that has not kept up with the rising cost of living, with nearly a third of those with side jobs requiring them to stay afloat as of 2019.[2] Additionally, nearly half of all Americans report having a side job, including 43 percent of full-time workers.[2] However, the most common reason workers take on side jobs is to obtain additional disposable income.[2] In the United Kingdom, 60 percent of students and graduates reported having a side job, and 43 percent required it to pay their rent.[3]

Millennials are the most likely to have a side job, usually in order to have a financial "safety net", leading to them being considered the "side hustle generation". However, they are also common as a means to pay off student loans, as well as to leverage one's creativity in ways that would normally not be feasible in the typical workplace.[2][4] When a person's primary job only provides income so that they may pursue their preferred side job, it is typically known as a "day job".[5]