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Nearly half of Polish employees moonlight, study reveals

03.10.2024 18:00
A recent study has found that 45.2 percent of working Poles are taking on additional jobs or assignments outside their main employment, marking an increase from 41.3 percent last year.
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The trend highlights a growing number of people seeking supplementary income.

The survey for the How Poles Earn Extra report was conducted in August by pollster SW Research on behalf of Gi Group Poland, a recruitment company.

It indicates that 58 percent of those already doing extra work plan to continue or start additional work in the next six months.

According to the study, the primary motivations for taking on extra work include funding expenses beyond basic needs (30.2 percent), accumulating savings (27.2 percent), and boosting the household budget due to insufficient income from the main job (nearly 14 percent).

Other reasons are pursuing passions and interests (13.8 percent), professional development and gaining new skills (9.8 percent), and developing one's own businesses (4.4 percent).

"Those seeking additional earning opportunities want to allocate the earned funds primarily for expenses beyond basic needs, to save, and to increase professional development opportunities," said Anna Wesołowska, managing director of Gi Group Poland.

The study reveals that young people, residents of large cities, part-time employees, and those earning over PLN 5,000 (around EUR 1,150, USD 1,300) per month are the most likely to take on extra work.

Men are more inclined than women to engage in additional work, with 49.8 percent of men and 40.4 percent of women taking on extra jobs. People with only primary education (51 percent) and those with higher education (47.4 percent) are all contributing to this trend.

The youngest generation is the most active in seeking extra work, with over 54 percent of those under 24 years old and over 52 percent of those aged 25–34 taking on additional employment.

Every second self-employed person and 44 percent of salaried employees—both full-time and part-time—are supplementing their income with extra work.

Those performing additional work typically dedicate up to nine hours per week to it (45.9 percent), regardless of age group. About 34 percent spend 10–19 hours weekly, and nearly 10 percent devote even more time.

For 56 percent of respondents, additional work is casual in nature. This type of work has become more popular mainly among employees on regular contracts (55 percent). Another form of extra employment is regular additional work for another employer (26.3 percent).

The survey was conducted in August using the computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) method on a sample of 1,169 Polish residents over 18 years old.

(rt/gs)

Source: PAP