The idea of "polywork" — working more than one job at a time — is rising in popularity across the nation. But certain regions are driving the trend, while other communities remain skeptical.
Nearly half of Americans are either already working multiple jobs or planning to in the years ahead, according to payroll services company Paychex. A recent survey of over 1,000 Americans, both polyworkers and people holding just one job, explored the locales where residents are most considering increasing their workload.
Polywork is most popular in coastal cities and states as compared to the middle of the country, according to Paychex. Only four states that made Paychex's ranking are in the Midwest and six of the top 10 cities with the highest interest in polywork are coastal cities.
Read more: The rise of 'polywork': 40% of employees have more than one job
"Inflation and the cost of living have played a major role in the rise of polywork," says Marsha Akpodiete, an HR Coach at Paychex, noting that coastal cities and states often have a higher cost of living. "The pandemic caused widespread unemployment and economic uncertainty, prompting many to explore alternate ways of earning a living. More than one in five people say they'd be unable to pay bills if they didn't work multiple jobs, and more than four in 10 people say they'd have to move to another city and struggle to keep up with inflation."
There are currently over 70 million freelancers in the U.S. as of 2022, according to Paychex, 20% higher than 2021's count. Considering the continued embrace of flexible work schedules and the rising number of polywork-related searches, Akpodiete anticipates the same spike to happen with holding multiple jobs in 2023.
See which cities are ahead of the curve and made Paychex's list:
