(Undated) New federal data show that the number of Americans working two or more jobs has reached its highest level since the pandemic’s start, a trend that suggests more people are feeling inflation’s pinch.
The Labor Department reports nearly 8.4 million people held multiple jobs in October, They represent 5.2% of the workforce, the largest share of moonlighters since January 2020.
Employment statistics show that 5.9% of women worked multiple jobs in October, compared with 4.7% of men. Roughly 5 million Americans held one full-time and one part-time job. Nearly 2 million held two part-time gigs. Another 1.1 million said they held jobs where the hours varied. Fewer than 400,000 held two full-time jobs.
The share of Americans working multiple jobs reached 5.3% in the summer of 2019, then plunged during the early months of the pandemic, bottoming out in the spring of 2020. The figure has crept up since then.