INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — More Filipino millennials and Gen Zs have taken either a part- or full-time paying job on top of their primary job just to make ends meet, according to the results of the Deloitte 2023 Millennial and Gen Z survey released on Monday.
The survey, conducted from November to December 2022, showed that 71 percent of Filipino millennials and 65 percent of Filipino Gen Zs have taken additional side jobs—an increase from the previous year’s results of 61 percent and 64 percent, respectively.
As defined by the study, Gen Z respondents were born between January 1995 and December 2004 while millennial respondents were born between January 1983 and December 1994.
When asked why they decided to take additional jobs, 66 percent of millennials and 56 percent of Gen Zs said they needed a secondary source of income while about 40 percent of both generational groups believed their side jobs helped them develop important skills and relationships.
Results of the survey also showed that more than half of Filipino millennials (58 percent) and Gen Zs (59 percent) live paycheck to paycheck and worry they won’t be able to cover their expenses.
“These results reflect the economic uncertainty millennials and Gen Zs find themselves in as the world continues to recover from the global pandemic,” said Eric Landicho, managing partner and CEO of Deloitte Philippines.
Burned out
According to the survey, the need to supplement their paycheck and take more jobs results negatively in young workers, as 66 percent of Filipino millennials and 81 percent of Filipino Gen Zs feel burned out due to the demand of workloads — an increase from 63 percent and 70 percent the previous year, respectively.
“While these young workers are leaning on their resourcefulness to stay afloat, organizations can play a big part in ensuring the financial well-being of their employees.
Especially during this period of high inflation, organizations can look at offering flexible benefits such as those relating to health care or commuting costs to ease the impact of soaring prices on workers,” Landicho said.
The results of the survey resonate with Tel Montalbo, 27, who works as an architect for a local firm but still takes part-time jobs related to her field of work.
“The reason I take sideline jobs is solely financial. My income is just enough for my needs, so I have to fund my ‘wants’ through other jobs that I get. They are all mostly related to architecture, like outsourced housing projects from other countries. The sideline job can be as hard as my main job but it pays way better and helps me reach my financial goals,” Montalbo added.
Pay workers properly
She also said that doing multiple jobs sometimes leads to deteriorating health, feeling unmotivated and even underperforming at work.
“I think what companies really need to do to help their workers is to compensate them properly. Workers shouldn’t live paycheck to paycheck,” Montalbo said.
Rose Tañedo, 30, also lamented that the current cost of living in the country had made it difficult for her to do with just one paycheck.
“In my case, since I made a career shift and my income is way lower than in my previous job, I resorted to taking up side gigs, which is tutoring in English. The extra source of income helps out with the expenses at home especially since both of my parents are retired now,” she said.
In terms of returning to full-time on-site work, 76 percent of Filipino millennials and 81 percent of Filipino Gen Zs said they would consider looking for a new job if their employer asks them to return to the office full-time.
About half of the Filipino survey respondents would also prefer to either work fully remotely or have full choice over whether they work remotely or on-site. Less than 10 percent of Filipino millennials (9 percent) and Gen Zs (7 percent) prefer to work completely on-site.