Polyworking is a term used to describe multiple employment, i.e. when someone works in several jobs, projects or roles at the same time. The phenomenon is mainly driven by economic reasons, the rising cost of living and the need for greater financial security, but it can also be motivated by creativity, self-fulfilment and career development, while technological developments are also supporting its spread. In Hungary, polyworking is not new: in previous decades, second jobs, backyard farming or working in the private sector were common, mainly as supplementary income. Nowadays, it is particularly prevalent among younger generations (Z and Y) globally, mainly due to economic constraints, but digital working and flexible working opportunities also play a role. Officially, 4% of workers in the EU and 1.6% in Hungary have a second job, but Hungarian surveys suggest that the actual proportion may be much higher.
What is polyworking?
In polyworking, a person works in several jobs, projects or roles at the same time, often in parallel, not just as a side job, but in several full-time jobs. Classically, this is understood as paid work, i.e. having a second or third job, but it can also include regular volunteering (we wrote about this topic in detail in an earlier article).
Most people take on more than one job at a time for economic reasons: the rising cost of living means that many people cannot live from a single job and try to earn income from more than one source. However, every life situation is unique and there may be other reasons for taking on a second job besides financial ones. Polyworking is an opportunity for creativity, self-expression and variety. Many people also turn their passions and hobbies into a source of income. The need to build a career and gain experience also appears as a motivating factor. The rise of digital working is also an incentive, as the proliferation of teleworking and hybrid working (a mix of home and office work) allows people to work for several companies or projects at the same time, even in different countries.
Polyworking is not an unusual phenomenon in Hungary, although the globally used term can be misleading. In the communist period, especially during the Kádár era (1956-1989), the Hungarian equivalent of polyworking was the “second economy“. This phenomenon became widespread and socially accepted because of economic realities and the specificities of the system. Older generations (veterans [born before 1946], baby-boomers [born between 1946-1964], Generation X [born between 1965-1979]) have also encountered this phenomenon, and may have worked (or are working) several second jobs themselves. These included backyard farming, especially in the countryside, small-scale industrial activity (‘maszekolás’), Economic Work Communities (state employees taking on extra work outside working hours in an organised way), ‘fusizás’ (mostly illegal work done without permission or in secret).
Nowadays, the phenomenon of polyworking is also affecting the younger generations (Y and Z); indeed, it is particularly affecting them both globally and in Hungary. Younger generations are increasingly getting paid from several places at once, due to economic insecurity, inflation, cost of living, the rise of flexible working and their need for freedom of work.
Members of older generations are more loyal to their “main” job, but when they do polyworking, they tend to work for additional income, hobby or to supplement their pension. For older generations, separating work and life, predictability and traditional career paths are more important. They may also find it more difficult to adapt to digital working.
Why can polyworking be good and what challenges does it present?
The main benefits of polyworking are greater financial security, more stability and more freedom. Greater autonomy can also be had by polyworkers allocating time and energy between jobs themselves. Furthermore, being paid from more than one place can provide stability, diversify income sources and reduce exposure to external circumstances (e.g. if one job ceases, the others still pay). Polyworking requires more flexibility, but it also teaches a flexible attitude and allows new skills to be acquired (e.g. planning, organisation, flexibility, creativity, problem solving, confidence). This can help in one’s future career path, and getting to know different industries, jobs and colleagues can also speed up professional development.
The acquisition of all of these skills through polyworking can also benefit the employer, increasing the pool of talent within the company, bringing new perspectives and ideas to the workplace, and fostering innovation.
Polyworking can also have the advantage of providing a wider network of professional contacts through different jobs. This can be beneficial for future career opportunities and collaborations.
Forbes wrote in its analysis of polyworking that it often gives workers more control over their career development, allowing them to align their work more closely with their personal values, passions and goals. Most side jobs tend to grow from a hobby into a source of income.
But there are also challenges and risks for those who choose polyworking. First and foremost, polyworking can have negative effects on one’s personal life as well as family relations and friendships. For young people in particular, it can delay choosing a partner and starting a family, as they are busier due to the extra workload. There is also a greater risk of overwork and burnout if there is less intrinsic commitment and motivation to carry out the many tasks. With multiple jobs, it is harder to identify with a company and loyalty may be reduced, which is a challenge for employers. It should also be noted that, although it is legally possible to take on more than one job in the EU, some contracts and non-competition agreements prohibit it, and getting caught can lead to dismissal.
How many people take on a second job?
According to a US survey in 2023, nearly half of workers (46%) work more than one job at a time, and 36% plan to start doing so. Especially among the younger generations, having more than one job is a global phenomenon at present. According to a US survey in 2025, 24% of Gen Y workers – who make up the largest share of the workforce – have two or three second jobs in addition to their main job, while 33% have four or five. The main motivators include financial stability (31%), personal interest (24%) and career development (17%). Their average annual extra income is $12,689 (nearly HUF 4.5 million). While 58% of respondents consider polyworking to be sustainable in the long term, not just a temporary solution, 42% report burnout from polyworking.
In the European Union, 4.0% of workers aged 15-64 have more than one job, according to Eurostat data for 2024, which represents 8 million workers. This figure has remained stable at around 4% in recent years, with a peak in 2019 (4.2%). The highest rates were in Iceland (11.3%), the Netherlands (10.4%) and Denmark (9.5%), while the lowest rates were in Romania (0.6%), Italy (0.9%) and Greece (1.3%) (or polyworkers in these countries do not declare their additional jobs officially but operate in the grey or black economy). Polyworking in the EU is also more prevalent among younger and female workers, but also occurs at higher income levels and in white-collar occupations.
https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/23932856/
According to Eurostat data, 1.6% of the employed 15-64 year olds in Hungary have a second job officially registered, which has remained at similar levels over the past 12 years. However, results from a survey in 2023 show a higher rate, with 34% of Hungarian workers having a second job in the year under review (world average: 25%). The difference is due to the methodological difference between the two surveys: official statistical data from Eurostat – KSH, while the 2023 international survey is based on a self-reported online questionnaire (probably most second jobs are not officially declared). The share of people in all age groups who had a second job was 30% or above in the 2023 survey, with the highest share in the 45-54 age group (37%). The survey found that in 2023, the increase in the cost of living was the reason for the higher rates of overtime or taking a second job.
Sources for this article can be found here, here, here and here.
