Full-time workers in Japan are turning to side jobs more often as they try to earn more money because their wages have gone down because prices have gone up and so have social insurance rates.
But a recent poll by the website Mynavi Tenshoku, which helps people change careers, showed that while some employees thought their side jobs would help them earn more money, only a small number would actually be able to make as much as they wanted to.
A survey of 800 full-time workers aged 20 to 59, 400 of whom had done extra work before, found that only 23.4% of those surveyed thought that side jobs were a good way to make extra money every year.
People who did side jobs wanted to make an extra 1.26 million yen (U$8,400) a year on average. However, the average amount made from side jobs was 678,000 yen, which is about $4,500. This shows that promises and reality are not matching up. About 59.2% of workers who had side jobs made less than 10,000 yen (US$67) a year. About 15.7% of employees were able to make 310,000 yen ($2,060) or more.
Employees who had side jobs often said that they had less time for hobbies and felt more fulfilled (14.5%) when asked about some of the effects of having them. 12.8% of the people who answered were not able to make the money they wanted.
Additionally, the average yearly salary from respondents’ main jobs was 4 million yen, which is about $27,000. The average yearly salary they wanted was 5.5 million yen, which is about $37,000. When asked about their current pay, 48.4% expressed dissatisfaction by saying they were “not satisfied” or “not quite satisfied.” Of those who responded, 65.5% expressed concern about their money.
According to The Manaichi, Mynavi Tenshoku said, “Companies need to not only let employees have side jobs, but also pay them enough to live comfortably and safely.”
