How Side Hustles Are Redefining Careers and Shaping the Future of Work

How Side Hustles Are Redefining Careers and Shaping the Future of Work

In 2024, 36% of American adults earned money from a side hustle, with an average of $891 a month in earnings, a 10% increase from 2023 to 2024.

But side hustles are more than just a way to pocket some extra cash — they are an onramp to the increasingly independent workforce and freelance career path. Recent data from MBO Partners shows that 27.7 million individuals in the U.S. are full-time independent workers, a number that has doubled since 2020.

This steady growth highlights a lasting shift, persisting despite widespread layoffs, a remote work reckoning, and an uncertain global economy.

What does this mean for you? At some point, you'll most likely be freelancing, side hustling or going full-time independent.


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Around the Internet

Here's what else we're reading this week:

  • The holiday season is a boon for porch pirates: here's how to combat them (Fox Business)

  • US labor market steadily cooling amid higher job openings, low layoffs (MarketWatch)

  • A Walmart employee was called into work on her day off. She left a millionaire. (USA Today)


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