While one in 14 (7 per cent) hold three or more
Gig economy workers juggle as many as two or more ‘gig’ jobs at the same time, according to new research from Zurich UK.
Published within Zurich UK’s ‘Restless Worklife’ report – based on UK-wide analysis from YouGov of over 4,200 adults, of which 603 were gig workers – the research finds that one in three (32 per cent) hold at least two jobs, while one in 14 (7 per cent) hold three or more. One in ten (10 per cent), meanwhile, undertake seasonal work / employment during the holidays.
The research also revealed that more women have just one form of gig work than men (55 per cent vs 42 per cent), whereas more men hold three to five gig jobs than women (19 per cent vs 11 per cent).
The study, which is the first to use data from the gig economy, also found that flexibility and breadth of opportunities are the main factors for two in five (39 per cent) gig workers choosing gig work. While a fifth (21 per cent) admitted that gig work is the only type of employment available to them, and a further 14 per cent say they undertake gig work to ease them into retirement.
Despite many enjoying the freedom of gig work, the main drawbacks were not having access to employee benefits such as income protection, holiday and sick pay; not knowing where the next job / pay cheque will come from (42 per cent) and not receiving a workplace pension (31 per cent).
Chris Atkinson at Zurich UK, said: “With Christmas approaching and people increasingly considering gig work to supplement seasonal costs, holding more than one role has become the norm. The benefit of gig work is that it gives people flexibility to boost their income, but it comes without the benefits that full-time employment provides such as holiday pay and income protection. This is why it’s so important there is more support available to gig workers to ensure they take steps to protect their finances.”
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