'Hustle like you're broke': Number of people with second jobs may reach new high
Published: 12 Nov. 2025, 17:59
Updated: 13 Nov. 2025, 10:42
![Jeong Sang-bin, right, a 26-year-old delivery worker who has saved 300 million won over six years, says he delivers about 700 packages a day while working more than 12 hours, six days a week in tvN show ″You Quiz on the Block″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/13/29072241-cd00-4010-b709-ba2b366ade53.jpg)
Jeong Sang-bin, right, a 26-year-old delivery worker who has saved 300 million won over six years, says he delivers about 700 packages a day while working more than 12 hours, six days a week in tvN show ″You Quiz on the Block″ [SCREEN CAPTURE]
A person in their mid-30s, employed at a major company, moonlights as a designated driver from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 3 or 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Their only day off is Sunday.
“After property values dropped in my hometown, I started to feel anxious,” they said. “Even though it’s physically exhausting, I keep working side gigs because I don’t want to end up collecting cardboard in old age.”
Another worker in their early 30s, employed by a midsize manufacturing company, unloads boxes at a Uniqlo store four to five evenings a week. They earn a base wage of 400,000 won ($270) a month — potentially double that, depending on the workload — for working about two hours a day.
“I’m preparing to apply for a presale apartment, but my current income isn’t enough, so I started a second job,” they said.
People can easily find posts sharing ideas for second jobs and side hustles online, like through the online community Blind, primarily used by Korean office workers. On YouTube, a courier in their 20s recently drew attention for reportedly earning 13 million won a month by delivering about 700 packages a day, six days a week, for 14 hours a day.
This normalization of voluntary overwork reflects the growing influence of the so-called “hustle economy,” a trend in which individuals earn income through various means outside traditional employment.
As the government and lawmakers propose policies, such as a four-and-a-half-day workweek or limiting early morning delivery hours to reduce long and overnight shifts, critics argue that those measures overlook the realities of workers in the hustle economy.
![The Coupang logo is seen on a delivery truck at the firm's logistics center in Seoul on Nov. 5. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/13/1d7b139a-0752-480e-8432-474512fe692c.jpg)
The Coupang logo is seen on a delivery truck at the firm's logistics center in Seoul on Nov. 5. [YONHAP]
The number of workers with side jobs rose from 419,000 in 2017 to a record 624,600 in 2024. As of September 2025, the average stood at 608,000, according to microdata released on Nov. 11 by Statistics Korea. With the number of people working side jobs typically rising toward the end of the year, the figure is expected to reach a new high this year.
A Samsung Electronics survey in August 2024 of 5,048 Gen Z employees across Korea, the United States, Britain, France and Germany found that 79 percent of Korean respondents were considering a second job, the second-highest rate after the United States.
The most accessible side jobs involve platform labor, such as food delivery, courier services and designated driving. A November 2024 report by the Korea Employment Information Service found that Korea had 883,000 platform workers in 2023. Compared to 2022, the share of those using platforms as a side job rose from 21.1 to 21.8 percent, while that of intermittent participants rose from 21.2 to 22.6 percent.
Among those surveyed, 36.1 percent said they began platform work to earn more income — evidence that the search for side jobs is often financially driven.
People juggling first and second jobs are structurally more likely to engage in night shifts and extended hours. Following recent public concern over a delivery worker's death linked to overworking, the government and National Assembly are accelerating discussions on new labor regulations.
![Workers load cargo at a Coupang logistics center in Songpa District, southern Seoul. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/13/a5327777-cac4-4f99-bca7-5601c3fbe123.jpg)
Workers load cargo at a Coupang logistics center in Songpa District, southern Seoul. [YONHAP]
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has proposed a ban on deliveries between midnight and 5 a.m. Meanwhile, a task force working on a road map to reduce working hours has proposed limiting total daily working hours to eight for those working more than three hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon told lawmakers that the ministry is reviewing a requirement for a minimum 11-hour break between shifts — ideally 13 — signaling the possible adoption of a mandatory rest policy.
However, most proposals focus on regulating working hours, which experts say may miss the mark or even backfire.
For workers in the hustle economy, the proposed four-and-a-half-day workweek would offer little benefit as their hours fall outside the jurisdiction of the Labor Standards Act. Time spent on second jobs and side hustles is not legally tracked or managed.
Some even worry that shorter hours at a primary job could lead to increased hours at side jobs, as workers try to make up for lost wages, resulting in even longer total working hours.
![Delivery workers pick up food parcels from restaurants at a street in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on June 17. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/13/12a51094-e78a-4539-ae9c-42033d440699.jpg)
Delivery workers pick up food parcels from restaurants at a street in Gangnam District, southern Seoul on June 17. [YONHAP]
Experts point to deeper causes behind the growing popularity of the hustle economy in Korea, including a weak social safety net, high housing costs and stagnant wage growth.
“Real estate prices have soared, but wages haven’t kept up, and with inadequate social protection, more people feel they need to earn as much as they can while they can,” said Park Kwi-cheon, a professor at Ewha Womans University Law School.
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is also fueling insecurity.
“With AI increasingly threatening even full-time jobs, the notion of lifelong employment is fading, and anxiety among workers is rising,” said Kim Sung-hee, the head of the L-ESG Research Institute.
Given these underlying pressures, many argue that overwork cannot be resolved through time limits alone.
![A delivery driver picks up food to be delivered at a restaurant in downtown Seoul on June 29. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/13/aaf75d47-c62b-40ec-98b6-7c0a9b094d6d.jpg)
A delivery driver picks up food to be delivered at a restaurant in downtown Seoul on June 29. [YONHAP]
“As long as workers are motivated to earn more, simple regulations on working hours may just shift the problem elsewhere,” said Park Ji-soon, a professor at Korea University School of Law. “If you restrict one channel, the fragmented labor landscape driven by platforms may lead to even more precarious work.”
The recent debate over banning early morning deliveries shows how complex the issue is. When the KCTU proposed the ban, Coupang’s union pushed back, saying the measure would eliminate jobs and cause chaos as deliveries get squeezed into daytime hours.
Workers themselves highlighted how blanket regulations could cause unintended harm. Japan considered a similar law in 2019 to count side jobs toward total working hours, but abandoned it amid pushback from workers.
“Working hour limits alone won’t solve this,” said Prof. Park Kwi-cheon. “We need to address the root problems, from social security gaps to the structural divide between large corporations and smaller businesses.”
Still, experts agree that even self-chosen work should have minimum protections. One proposal gaining attention is the “Workplace Rights Protection Act” (translated), which aims to safeguard workers outside the scope of current labor laws.
“The Labor Standards Act does not adequately protect today’s new forms of labor,” said Prof. Park Ji-soon. “We need a new legal framework — not one that imposes harsh penalties or rigid limits, but one that ensures reasonable rest and is grounded in consensus between labor and management.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM YEON-JOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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