How to two-time your employer: a tech worker’s guide
Two work laptops, two work calendars, two bosses and two pay-cheques. So far, neither of Matt’s employers is any the wiser. The tech worker (who, for obvious reasons, asked The Economist not to use his real name) meets deadlines and does what is requested, though not more. He is not the only one.
People working several jobs is nothing new. Low earners have long had to juggle shifts to make ends meet. At the other end of the pay scale, directors often sit on a few corporate boards. According to America’s Bureau of Labour Statistics, at any given point in the past 30 years, between 4% and 6.5% of the American workforce was working more than one job. Estimates from the Census Bureau put that share even higher, going from 6.8% in 1996 to 7.8% in 2018.
The employee-employer relationship has historically favoured the employers, who wield more clout because they can typically choose from more workers than workers can among companies. Matt thinks of his ruse as taking back some control. Two decently paying jobs afford him flexibility. And, he says, flexibility is power. If he were to get laid off, or if one job were to become unreasonably demanding, he could go and find another. For now, he thinks he is safe. So safe, in fact, that he is starting his search for a third job. ■
2023-05-04 08:07:10
Link from www.economist.com
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