Side hustles are increasingly affecting day jobs, HR professionals in the UAE warn, as more young employees juggle multiple roles.
Nearly six in 10 Gen Z workers and almost half of Millennials now have side hustles, according to a Harris Poll. The trend is driven not only by ambition but also by the desire for flexibility, freedom, and multiple income streams to gain control over the future.
A 2024 Glassdoor-Harris poll found that 39 per cent of employees take on side hustles to supplement their income, rising to 57 per cent for Gen Z and 48 per cent for Millennials.
In Dubai, this shift is also fuelled by wage stagnation, rising living costs, and changing definitions of work and success.
Jessie Joy, Head of HR and Admin at Magnitude Creative, said, “Side hustles are becoming more prevalent at our agency due to remote and hybrid employment. One employment is no longer seen by workers as the sole source of stability. It’s a sensible reaction to inflation, housing costs, educational fees, or family obligations for many members of the elder generation.”
As for Generation Z, she explained many begin working part-time while they are in school. “It seems typical to keep doing so after getting a full-time job. It provides a sense of security and additional revenue.”
She explained the challenges it brings to workplaces.
“When workers commit to several projects and continuously switch between their primary job and a second one without taking adequate time off, burnout becomes a serious issue. We deal with employees arriving late or departing early, submitting unscheduled leave requests, or appearing distracted from sleep deprivation. This can eventually affect employee engagement, loyalty, and long-term sustainability at work, not because they don't care as much, but rather because they are overworked."
Hemant Jain, executive and career transformation coach in Dubai, pointed out that the Millennials he is coaching are exploring side hustles as a backup and safety net in case of a sudden job loss.
“The Gen Z look at them as low-risk experiments to find out what they like and what they want to do in life. In both cases, the side hustles are taking far more time and energy than they thought and are affecting their day job negatively, in terms of their attentiveness and even commitment."
This is turning into a challenge for employers. “They (employers) fail to understand the root cause of the problem, as the side hustles are seldom publicised or revealed,” added Jain.
