Second jobs, also known as side hustles, are a way of supplementing your income, separate from your main day job. Whether reselling clothes or tutoring online, a side hustle requires a person to use their free time to start and run a business.
Money.co.uk business loans set out to discover how many Brits have turned to side hustles, and what sort of jobs they have undertaken. By surveying more than 2,000 UK employees, money.co.uk business loans found the most popular side hustles in Britain, and how these second jobs impact workers’ day jobs.
Selling secondhand clothing is the most popular side job in Britain, with 18% of survey respondents stating that their current, or ideal, side hustle would involve reselling clothes. Apps such as Depop and Vinted are among the most popular fashion reselling sites, with more than 26 million users worldwide, and many people have turned these platforms into a profitable second income. A quarter (25%) of women are reselling clothes to make extra cash, compared to one in nine (11%) men.
The top four side gigs in Britain – reselling clothes, crafting, baking, and dog walking – are all jobs which are largely self-run. Food and parcel delivery comes in as the fifth most common side hustle, with 8% workers stating that this is their current, or ideal, alternative form of income.
This role is usually done by workers on behalf of large companies, such as Amazon or Deliveroo. Courier work is the most popular role for male respondents, with 11% undertaking this side job.
Almost half (45%) of employees with side hustles have reduced their working hours at their main job. Within this, more than two in ten (22%) workers stated that, as a result of their side job, they now work part time in their primary vocation.
Quitting their job entirely was more common than employees opting to work just a day less in their main jobs. 17% of workers stated that they have given up their primary role entirely, to devote all of their time to making their side hustle their singular source of income. 7% of workers have opted to work a day less in favour of their side gig.
James Andrews, personal finance editor at money.co.uk business loans, shares tips on starting your own business:
“Our survey shows there is a burgeoning group of workers who are finding more value in their side jobs than their main one. With the cost of living crisis putting a strain on wallets across the UK, many more will be looking for new ways to boost their incomes, and starting a business in your spare time is one of the best there is.
“There’s a bug gap between deciding to start out on your own and actually earning your first pound, however.”
