Ian is one of the thousands of workers who have turned to concert economics after discovering that their full-time wages will no longer make ends meet as the cost of living crisis bites. Some search the web for rewarding research and testing, while others sign up to become Deliveroo or Uber drivers on their evenings and weekends. It is not an easy decision to make. “My children always comment on how much time I have on my phone. There is not much quality time for us. You begin to feel the pressure you need to achieve these goals for money. I definitely sleep less. “I no longer have a hobby – I do not have 90 minutes to watch a football match,” said Ian. Gig economy platforms are taking advantage of the demand for workers who want to increase their wages in their spare time, with several platforms reporting an increase in enrollment since prices began to rise at the beginning of the year. Deliveroo has seen a 36% increase in monthly active riders since January 2021, while People per hour has seen a 33% increase in self-employment in the UK compared to the previous period in 2021. Uber is increasing its driving force in United Kingdom from 70,000 to 90,000 and Fiverr figures show that 58% of workers in the UK have taken on extra work since the beginning of the pandemic. A recent report by Total Jobs found that 17% of people had done a second job to boost their income since the cost-of-living crisis began, raising it to 20% for key employees. One-third of employees said they were considering looking for new, better-paying jobs. Many people turn to Facebook groups like GPT Genies to find links to online searches, download tests, watch videos, and play games. The GPT has increased its membership, according to administrator Nikki Pilkington, with about 3,000 additional registrations between January and May. Pilkington said it had seen a huge increase in its members and its members said they were using their profits through the group to “deal with simple things like diapers and shoes for their children” or to pay gas and electricity or gas bills. to go to work. “A lot of people are really ashamed to use this way to make extra money – they don’t even tell their friends and family,” he said. While self-employment benefits some people, those who spoke to the Guardian shared their frustration that a full-time job is no longer enough to cover the reasonable cost of living and worried about the impact of long working hours on their well-being. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST Sarah Jacobs *, who has a full-time job in a travel agency, said she had to take extra work doing guided tours and writing articles in magazines to cope with a 250 250 monthly increase in rent and heating bills. “I have a full-time job that is well paid – it is not a big bank or anything, but it is a full time job that is not the starting point and I think I should be able to live with it,” he said. “I do not have free time. I would like not to do it. “It’s not a sustainable way of life, but I can do a lot more.” Jacobs said she struggled with a constant temptation to look for extra work. “I should probably exclude myself from the Indeed site, but it is also necessary.” The solution, according to Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, the UK’s largest union, is for the government and employers to offer wage increases to help workers cope with the financial crisis. He said: “No one should be forced to take on many jobs just to survive. But they do it because poverty alleviation is still very common. Some employers provide food banks in the workplace when the right pay rises are what they really need. “With prices soaring, every employer will have to pay decent prices so that staff do not have to do juggling jobs, endangering their own health and the well-being of their families.”
- The name has changed
