The number of people working more than one job is on the rise. Multiple jobholders reached 8,137,000 in March, or 5.1% of the total employed population, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s up from close to 7.5 million people during the same period last year, or 4.7% of the total employed population.
But the March level was still lower than the pre-pandemic level of 8,181,000 million in February 2020 at 5.2% of the total employed population. Among those holding multiple jobs, the number of people working their primary job full-time while taking on a part-time job reached its highest level since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. More than 4.6 million people were juggling a full-time job and a part-time one in March 2023, the second time the data surpassed the February 2020 number of 4.5 million. The high cost of living and workers’ desires to protect themselves in the event of a layoff are the two main factors driving the rise in the share of employees with multiple jobs right now, said ZipRecruiter Lead Economist Sinem Buber in an email to MarketWatch. Employees are also looking for additional income sources to ensure they have at least one source of income if they lose a job due to a potential recession, she said. Inflation has eased after a year of rapid growth, b …