Side Hustles Twice as Common as US Jobs Data Show, Survey Finds

Side hustles are twice as prevalent as government data suggests, indicating that more Americans need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet amid historically high inflation.

Nearly 10% of workers reported having a main job plus at least one other side gig, according to the latest work-from-home survey conducted by economists including Stanford University’s Nicholas Bloom. By contrast, the January employment report showed 8 million, or about 5% of US workers had multiple jobs, according to the Labor Department.

Despite a strong labor market underscored by historically low unemployment and solid wage gains — which, for ...