New study finds half of tech workers have a side hustle — despite often being the best paid
- The average tech worker earns £60,600, but half of them also have a side hustle
- 49% have a hybrid working routine, enabling flexibility for side hustles
- The workers who need the money the most generally have the least flexibility
IT workers might be among the best paid, with UK employees earning an average of £60,600 – but one in two actually take on extra work alongside their full-time roles, new research has claimed.
This compares with barely a third (30%) of all full-time workers, making IT workers among the most likely to have side hustles – 23% freelancing and 7% having a more traditional second job, according to a Careerminds study.
But the reasons aren’t so clear, because three in five (58%) earn at least £50,000 annually and IT is the least likely sector to experience payday-to-payday financial pressure – so if it’s not money struggles that’s causing them to get side hustles, what is it?
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Tech workers earn good salaries but are still more likely to have side hustles
The report implies workers may just want to increase their disposable income or save more, but tech workers are also in an unfairly unique position because virtually half (49%) of them follow hybrid working routines, compared with just 4% in hospitality. This extra flexibility could allow them to sell their sought-after skills on a freelance basis.
“Some jobs naturally lend themselves to freelance work,” certified professional career coach Amanda Augustine wrote. “If you’re a developer, for example, you might be able to take on a project in the evening or over the weekend.”
But while IT workers typically earn healthy wages, nearly half (47%) of UK adults in full-time employment say they run out of money before payday, doing so on average 7.9 days early.
To that tune, one in five have cancelled subscriptions (21%), declined social plans (21%) or even skipped a meal (20%) just to help them keep that money for living expenses.
“The people who need additional income the most aren’t necessarily the ones who have the flexibility, time or energy to take on more work,” Augustine warned, noting that struggling workers from the least flexible sectors may be at an unfair disadvantage.
Careerminds implies we’re at the beginning of a challenging period, where certain workers and individuals may not be in such a good position to earn an extra income.
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