Multiple Jobs 12-9-25

While exact 2025 figures for low-wage earners with multiple jobs aren't specified, data shows a record 8.9 million Americans (5.4% of workers) held multiple jobs in early 2025 due to financial pressure, with surveys suggesting many need extra income to make ends meet, indicating a significant portion are likely low-wage workers seeking stability, though the trend now includes degree holders too, per marketplace.org, Augusta Free Press, CNBC, Forbes, and WJAR.  

Key Figures & Trends in 2025:

All-Time High: 8.9 million people worked multiple jobs in February 2025, the highest number ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Prevalence: This represented 5.4% of the U.S. workforce, a rate last seen during the Great Recession, notes marketplace.org, Augusta Free Press, CNBC, Forbes, and WJAR.

Why They Work Multiple Jobs: Financial pressure, debt, reduced hours, and the rise of the gig economy (Uber, Fiverr) are major drivers, according to Forbes.

Broader Need: A MyPerfectResume survey in early 2025 found 71% of US workers rely on multiple income streams, often for debt, highlighting widespread financial necessity, says WJAR turnto10.com 

In 2025, approximately 8.9 million Americans held multiple jobs, a figure that represents about 5.4% of all employed workers. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other research provide overall statistics for multiple jobholders, specific, precise data for only low-wage earners working two jobs is not a standard, consistently reported figure in public summaries. 

However, related 2025 reports indicate several relevant trends:

A significant driver for working multiple jobs is the need to cover expenses due to high living costs and inflation; over half of all U.S. workers reported living paycheck to paycheck.

Industries with high percentages of multiple job-holders include healthcare and social assistance, as well as accommodation and food services.

Some data from previous years suggested that those with relatively low earnings receive a larger percentage of their total income from their second jobs (over 30%), highlighting the financial necessity for this group.

The official BLS survey might underestimate the actual number of individuals who take on extra work or side hustles throughout a year, with some estimates suggesting the true number of those with a second job in a six-month period could be over 20%. 

Official statistics tend to focus on aggregate numbers rather than a specific breakdown by "low-wage" as a distinct, tracked demographic for multiple jobholding. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+low+wage+earners+work+two+jobs+in+2025

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader