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Brits 'Moonlighting' During Lunch Hours And Weekends To Pay Off Summer Holidays

Online freelance marketplace PeoplePerHour has seen the number of full-time Brits ‘moonlighting’ in a bid to supplement their incomes more than double to over 130,000 in just 12 months. And a poll of moonlighters revealed that almost three in five (57%) are taking on extra work just to pay their heating bills or to cover the weekly food shop.

The majority (78%) of moonlighters are so-called ‘five-to-niners’, working in the early evenings on top of their full-time nine-to-five day jobs, while more than half (53%) work weekends. A quarter (24%) are making the most of their lunch breaks, by selling their skills in small chunks of time, while 18% shun sleep and work through the night to earn some extra cash. Another 15% get up early to put in a few hours before they go to work.

And moonlighters are selling a range of skills – not only professional skills for small businesses such as design, bookkeeping and copywriting, but ‘hobbyist’ skills too, such as fixing bikes, walking dogs, writing best man speeches, date planning and researching family histories.

In fact, PeoplePerHour has seen a big rise in people selling ‘hobbyist’ skills for as little time as an hour, through the website’s Hourlies section.

In terms of how many extra hours moonlighters are working, most survey respondents (32%) are clocking up an extra six to 10 hours per week on top of their day jobs, although a conscientious 16% are working 15-20 hours extra per week and 10% are working an additional 21-25 hours per week. Another 8% are racking up more than 26 hours per week.

For almost four in ten (37%), it seems moonlighting is keeping them from serious financial trouble: 19% are taking on extra work in a bid to pay down debts, while 18% are doing so to meet mortgage repayments. Another 15% say the choice is between moonlighting or payday loans. Worryingly, almost a third (32%) are moonlighting just to be able to afford to heat their homes, while a quarter (25%) need the extra cash to cover the rising cost of the weekly food shop. More than a third (36%) are moonlighting so they can afford a summer holiday, while one in ten (10%) are saving for a deposit on a property.

Almost six in 10 moonlighters (59%) are boosting their monthly incomes by up to 20%, while 31% are topping up their earnings by 21-50%. One in ten (10%) are bumping up their wages by more than 50%.

Women have embraced the concept of extra work more than men – 62% of females moonlight, compared to 38% of men, and the increase of women over the past 12 months was 140%, compared to 110% of men.

Looking at age groups, over 55s have seen the biggest increase in moonlighting, with a rise of 158% over the past 12 months, followed by the 44-55 year-olds, who saw a 140% rise. But there has also been a 118% rise in 18-24 year-olds moonlighting over the past 12 months, as graduates and school-leavers find it increasingly hard to find well-paid or full-time positions.

The figures also revealed that Manchester and Liverpool are UK hotspots for moonlighting. Over the past 12 months alone, the cities have seen an increase of 163% and 162% respectively in the number of full-time employees taking on extra work. Bolton isn’t far behind with an increase of 148%.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, founder and CEO of PeoplePerHour, comments: “It seems that as austerity measures take their toll on finances, Brits are finding their entrepreneurial spirit and making every spare moment count.

“Although the north of England has been particularly badly hit by the recession, they are also proving the most entrepreneurial, with Manchester, Liverpool, Bolton, Newcastle and Leeds all leading the way when it comes to moonlighting.

“Many people have realised that free time can be lucrative, and giving up two hours in front of the TV in the evening, or an afternoon in the pub on a Saturday, can be put to good use.

“The internet has given everyone access to a global marketplace, so the opportunities to sell your skills are limitless. And we are now seeing a growing number of people, tapping into this marketplace, who may not have thought they had a skill to sell. These are the hobbyists who are making money from non-professional skills, such as fixing bikes, writing best man speeches, tidying gardens, and selling these skills or services in small chunks of time.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by VP .