Side hustles are on the rise, and they can take a lot of different forms, from opening an Etsy shop to delivery driving.
The AI career hub Kickresume has surveyed 1,070 workers on their experiences. Focusing exclusively on survey respondents who were based in the U.S., this analysis also reveals how many Americans under financial pressure are relying on the extra income to pay their bills.
Key takeaways
- 25% of Americans with a side hustle say this income is essential to their survival, more than 10% higher than Europeans.
- 60% of Americans started due to financial pressure.
- 16% of workers “often” work on their side gig during regular work hours.
Kickresume asked workers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia why they started a new venture alongside their main job. Americans were by far the most likely to say financial pressure was the reason, at 60%, compared to 40% in Europe and the same percentage in Asia. 10% said they were saving for a financial goal while for 10% it was a passion project.
The survey also investigated how much the extra income affects people. The largest percentage of Americans felt that it was a “nice extra” at 40%, followed by 29% who said it was important to them — however, for a quarter, at 25%, this money is “essential to survive.”
Kickresume also asked workers if their side hustle paid the same as their main job, would they put in their notice to focus on it instead? The highest percentage of Americans would quit “immediately” at 24%, while 23% said “probably not,” showing that opinion is very divided. While passion projects and freelancing on the side can sometimes be fulfilling, this way of working might not offer as much job security — and some people might prefer their regular job and the benefits employment provides.
A side gig isn’t always completely on the side, as Kickresume’s survey asked people if they ever work on it during regular working hours alongside their regular job. 16% of Americans said they do this “often” which could cause difficulties at work if their manager finds out — especially as many workers keep their additional source of income a secret. The top reason U.S. workers don’t tell their main employer is privacy, with 60% of those keeping it a secret saying “it’s nobody’s business.”
As well as exploring the experiences of people who have an additional revenue stream, the survey also asked people who don’t why they haven’t pursued this. The top reason Americans gave was that they didn’t know where to start, at 45%. However, the US was also the region with the highest percentage who were already too burned out to take on anything else, at 19%. Only 9% of respondents in Europe and 4% in Asia gave this answer.
When asked what would motivate them to get started, the most popular reason among Americans was extra income, with 41% giving this answer. It’s clear to see that the financial aspect is the most influential factor in whether U.S. workers take on additional work and the role that it plays in their lives.
The best and worst side hustles
Kickresume also asked workers around the world how many hours they spend a week on their work alongside their regular job, and how much it earns them, to create a ranking of the options with the best and worst ratios of earnings to time investment.
Several options were at the top of the list, combining a high payout with a comparatively low time investment.
- While renting out property requires a high initial financial investment, and therefore may not be a realistic option for everyone, it emerged at the top of the ranking. 48% of people doing this alongside their regular job earned more than $500 a month, with 79% of individuals putting in less than 10 hours a week.
- 43% of workers who provide teaching or consulting services on the side earned more than $500 a month, with 75% spending less than 10 hours a week on this work.
- Investing, trading or financial services see 41% of workers earn more than $500 a month, with 78% spending less than 10 hours a week on this work.
In contrast, there were some industries in which side gigs were both low-paid and required a high time investment.
- 82% of people doing manual work or trades on the side earned less than $500 a month from this, with 28% of these individuals spending more than 10 hours a week on this work.
- 69% of people doing additional work in the creative industries like video, photography, or design earned less than $500 a month. 37% of these individuals spent more than 10 hours a week on this.
- 73% of workers doing extra work in the hospitality or food industry alongside their regular job made less than $500 a month through this, which for 45% took more than 10 hours a week.
Overall, the survey showed that there’s no one way to have a side hustle, with people in the U.S. and around the world pursuing a wide variety of trades and skills on the side. Generally speaking, workers tend to decide to begin one because of financial reasons, with many coming to rely on this money.
“It’s increasingly common to have a side hustle, whether it’s to make some extra money, turn your creative passion into a source of income, or the first step towards going freelance. But what we found when looking specifically at data from the U.S. is that money is the biggest factor by far, with 25% of Americans saying they rely on the extra earnings to survive.
“We found that the main obstacle stopping the highest percentage of Americans from starting a side gig was not knowing where to start, at 45%. However, 19% of workers in the U.S. shared that they were too burned out from their main job to even think about making some money on the side.
“If you’re thinking about starting a new venture for extra income, my advice would be to plan how many hours you’re willing and able to put into it, don’t let burnout creep up on you. For many people, a full-time job is draining by itself. But the additional income can be extremely helpful, and if it’s in a field you’re interested in, it can be really fulfilling. 24% of Americans said that if their side hustle paid as much as their main job, they’d quit immediately to focus on it instead.”
Peter Duris, CEO of Kickresume
