“Many Americans are coping with the worst job market in a generation by doubling up. (Moonlighting.) They’re scrambling to pick up the slack as they, or their partners, lose jobs, endure pay cuts or watch their retirement savings shrivel.” That’s a quote from a feature article in USA Today (6/24/09) entitled “Moonlighting becomes a way of life for many.”
Other reasons not mentioned: To pay down credit card balances, cope with the new, higher interest rates on many cards, and compensate for having their credit limits decreased.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national newspaper reported, there were about 7.6 million holders of multiple jobs so far this year: 5.3% of all employees. Workers in the 45 to 54 age group accounted for most of them—2.0 million—followed by those age 35 to 44 and then by those 25 to 34. Teenagers and seniors (65 and older) accounted for the fewest: 230,000 and 220,000 respectively.
As the U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.4% in May, up from 8.9%, the average workweek for those with jobs shrank to 33.1 hours, the lowest in 45 years, due to more unpaid furloughs, reduced hours and pay cuts.
If you decide to moonlight, said a spokeswoman for Manpower, you should do so in a field you “have a passion about. For example, if you’re a sports nut, get a job in a sporting goods store.”
Or, perhaps, start a spare-time business selling products or providing a service in a field that interests you.
