'I live in survival mode': The rise of the multi-job workforce

Breaking news from the markets: 'I live in survival mode': The rise of the multi-job workforceJust now Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleDawn LimbuBristolCYD SMITHMore than a million people in the UK, like Billy-Jo Pierce, now have second jobsMore than a million people in the UK now have second jobs as rising costs, insecure work and industry changes push workers into a growing gig economy. Billy-Jo Pierce says she is "living in survival mode", juggling multiple jobs to stay afloat in Bristol, the UK's second most expensive city. She is is one of a growing number of people who have taken on an extra paid role to combat the cost of living crisis and build financial security and flexibility.

Pierce, 29 and originally from Birmingham, says she loves her work but admits that the "burn out is real. " She works 50-60 hours a week running a business decorating customers' teeth with cosmetic gems, while taking on reception shifts, bar work, festival jobs and selling clothes online. 'Part of a rat race'Data from the Office for National Statistics shows roughly 1.

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3m people in the UK currently have a second job, a slight decline compared to a record high of 1. 35m people recorded in 2025. Pierce's entrepreneurial journey began while studying interior design at university.

Despite graduating with a first-class degree, she struggled to find work in the industry and took a 9-5 gaming job while building her business on the side. "I'd finish work at like five, six pm and then go straight to my own business and stay there till like 11 pm. "I was working way too much, I had no social life.

"I felt like I was part of a massive rat race that I wasn't going to win in. "I was working so hard but I wasn't saving and I wasn't really living. "After being made redundant last year, she decided to focus on her business full-time.

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But rising costs and Bristol's high living expenses made it difficult to survive on one income. Billy-Jo PiercePierce runs a business decorating customers' teeth with jewelleryResearch suggests material costs in the beauty industry have risen by more than 90% over the past decade. Pierce now lives in a van to cut expenses and works several jobs to support her business.

A typical weekday sees her in the studio from 10:00 to 19:00, followed by reception shifts until as late as 23:00. Weekends are often spent working in bars or festivals. Despite this, she says she still worries constantly about money.

"Work is a lot and I still feel like I'm not earning a good monthly wage to ever get close to owning a house," she says. "I feel like it's quite the norm at the moment to work multiple jobs. There's definitely something wrong with what's going on at the moment.

Economists are analysing what the news means for the markets.