IN SOUTH Korea, the number of people who pursue side hustles has increased by 7% in the last two years[1]. Whereas the prevailing social norm was to find one stable profession, the current generation does not feel restricted to a single vocation. Nowadays, digital nomads travel around the world with multiple occupations that can be worked online. People record and upload their daily lives on social platforms to make money. As side jobs become increasingly accessible and integrated into people’s lives, the term n-job-leo is being used to describe those who have more than one occupation, especially one outside their main profession. The rise of n-job-leo highlights a social trend, reflecting the work values of today’s youth as well as the public’s changing attitude toward careers.

The leading factors behind the trend

   One important element behind the rise of side hustles is the current generation’s struggle to find secure jobs. The employment rate of 20 to 29-year-old South Koreans was 57.4% in 2021 and 58.8% at the beginning of 2022—low figures compared to the early 2000s when the rate was consistently above 60%[2]. Today’s youth also bear heavy financial burdens. For example, according to Bloomberg, 23% of Generation-Z (Gen-Z)[3] and 32% of Millennials[4] owe more credit card debt than what they have in emergency funds, while the number is 15% for Baby Boomers[5]. The economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the financial crisis of many, disproportionately affecting the younger generation. With a socioeconomic environment that led to low wealth and reduced career opportunities, side hustles became an attractive alternative for additional income.

   Aside from economic factors, the gig economy[6] provides merits that effectively resonate with the values of the current generation. In a survey, Millennials and Gen Z chose work-life balance—over other components such as sufficient pay, welfare benefits, or a positive work atmosphere—as the best-representing feature of a satisfactory job[7]. The importance of balancing work and life has transformed the public’s opinion about freelancers due to the attractiveness of flexible work hours[8], even though freelancers are generally subject to unstable incomes. Such a change suggests that the romanticization of working in prestigious positions for conglomerates at the cost of hierarchical and intense corporate culture is fading away. Similarly, the rise of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement further underscores the growing number of people who wish to achieve financial freedom at a young age and spend the rest of their lives doing what they truly enjoy. Even outside of South Korea, the rise of the Great Resignation[9] illustrates many Americans’ growing dissatisfaction with the current work culture, with an increasing number of people doubting the ability of traditional occupations to provide healthy and happy lifestyles for their workers. Such a powerful sense of resistance against the conventional 9-to-5 work culture makes side jobs appealing, as they require fewer working hours and offer great flexibility in terms of work environment.

The starting point of n-jobs: social media

   Being a content creator on social media platforms has become one of the most common side jobs. The content creator industry in South Korea was worth ₩3.9 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to reach ₩8 billion by 2023[10]. Social media creators earn money through advertisements and collaborations with brands. Moreover, content creators form a “fanbase” of subscribers, who later become their primary consumers when they decide to start a side business or host offline events such as fan meetups and talk concerts. Creating content on social media as a side job is appealing, owing to its low starting costs and the fact that it gives individuals the creative freedom to produce content based on their personal passions.

   Professionals who run YouTube channels on the side effectively embody the idea of n-jobs. For instance, the creators of the channel Doctor Friends are three doctors with specialties in psychiatry, internal medicine, and otorhinolaryngology[11]. Based on their field of medical expertise, the creators of Doctor Friends produce videos dealing with health issues—such as diabetes, panic disorders, and vaccination—in an entertaining and engaging manner that appeals to their viewers. Other than Doctor Friends, many people from diverse career backgrounds are choosing YouTube as a platform to share their knowledge and talents, while developing an additional source of revenue.

Turning skills into money

   One of the most popular ways of using one’s skill sets to generate income on the side is to publish an ebook on online platforms such as Kmong, which is the largest market for freelancers in South Korea. Ebooks offer an advantage compared to hardcopy books as they are less costly. Ebook writers also enjoy a shorter and simpler publishing process with greater freedom in terms of writing format and length. On Kmong, one can share know-how or a notable life story by writing a 20-page, or even a 5-page work and earn a fixed amount of money per download.

   Another emerging side job is running a newsletter. Newsletters are a feasible way to share information or attract customers to an event or for business. Unlike blogs, newsletters are easier to monetize as editors can charge monthly fees to each subscriber. In fact, online tools like Stibee allow the creation and distribution of newsletters for free, further lowering the barrier to entry. An example of a newsletter is My Korean History Letter, run by a historian and a content editor, which introduces Korean artifacts and artworks to readers, as well as retells Korean history from the perspective of a professional historian. 

   Lastly, online tutoring is an attractive side job choice for students in particular. Many English tutoring apps have been released, such as Ringle, a platform that allows adults to learn business English from students who attend prestigious universities, or Seoul-tab, where students enrolled in SKY universities—the top three universities in South Korea—provide online tutoring services for middle and high school students. 

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   Catalyzed by a number of cultural and socio-economic factors, people are starting to reevaluate the meaning of work and actively search for new opportunities for self-actualization, stepping out of boundaries set by the traditional framework of “stable occupations” and into the gig economy.

[1] KBS

[2] BBC

[3] Generation-Z (Gen-Z): The generation of people born between the mid to late 1990s and the 2010s

[4] Millennials: The demographic cohort following Generation X, referring to people born between 1981 and 1996

[5] Baby Boomers: The generation of people born from 1946 to 1964, during the years following the Second World War

[6] Gig economy: A market system in which organizations hire independent contractors for short-term commitments

[7] Korea Enterprises Federation

[8] JobKorea

[9] Great Resignation: The social phenomenon where a record number of people are leaving their jobs following the COVID-19 pandemic

[10] Future Media Institute 

[11] Otorhinolaryngology: A surgical specialty that deals with various diseases involving the ear, throat, nose, and other related parts of the head and neck