Why more South Koreans are becoming side hustlers

Straits Times

a day ago

SEOUL - Ms Kim Sol-nim, 33, writes blogs for hospitals and law firms after returning home from her main job at around 6pm. She spends one to four hours daily on side work, earning between 600,000 won and 800,000 won (S$554 to $739) per month as extra income.
She used to run an Airbnb and gave weekend lectures related to her current job in insurance in the past. Now, she is preparing a pet furniture design business with friends.
This does not mean that she plans to quit her main job anytime soon. Her main job provides health insurance, retirement benefits and job stability, which are benefits she is unsure her freelancing income can offer long-term.
Kim considers herself an 'N-jobber' — someone who has or is seeking to have multiple jobs.
'The biggest reason for having side jobs is money,' she told The Korea Herald. 'My salary from my main job is not insufficient for my living expenses, but it's nowhere near enough to buy a house in Seoul.'
She is one of many South Koreans who are taking on, or considering taking on, side hustles. For those interviewed by The Korea Herald, money was the top motivator, but workers also cited a desire to try new things and discover what they truly enjoy.
Experts say the trend is likely to accelerate amid soaring prices and growing job instability — a shift partly driven by rapid technological changes, including the rise of artificial intelligence.
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Money matters the most
Multiple surveys have shown that a growing number of salaried Koreans are engaging in side hustles.
According to a survey by the local classifieds outlet Flea Market in August, 82.1 per cent of 1,327 salaried workers said they were either doing or considering side jobs. The top reason was low salaries (55.1 per cent), and the most popular type of work was social media content creation, such as blogging or YouTube (20.2 per cent), with average earnings of about 620,000 won per month.
A separate report by KB Financial Group in November found that 54.8 per cent of 2,000 salaried workers were engaged in side jobs — up 12.8 percentage points from the same survey in 2022. The most common reasons included saving for emergencies (38.7 per cent), using spare time (18.7 per cent) and covering living expenses (13.2 per cent).
Like Ms Kim, many salaried workers find it hard to survive in Seoul, where consumer prices are high and housing costs are skyrocketing.
The average price of an apartment unit in July was 1.46 billion won, according to Real Estate 114. The average Seoul worker's annual salary is around 48 million won. In a simple calculation, even saving an entire salary for 30 years would barely be enough to buy a home.
Lily, who asked to be identified only by her English name, also juggles multiple side hustles.
In her 30s, she has tried blogging, food delivery on foot and leading online group activities like book clubs through platforms such as Trevari.
'When I saw people earn a lot of money through stocks and coins, I always regretted not doing the same,' she said. 'But I don't have the courage to take that kind of risk. So I began having side jobs.'
'My main job is stable, but wage increases are minimal. Instead of switching jobs, I started side hustles,' she said.
Career transition
Some also take on side jobs to safely transition from an unsatisfying main occupation to another job they truly enjoy.
A 37-year-old engineer at one of Korea's top conglomerates — who writes under the pseudonym Amtun on the blogging platform Brunch — has tried several side hustles over the years.
'I worked really hard, but one day I had a reality check,' she said. 'I was running fast in the corporate race, but I was hit by a sense of emptiness. It made me question whether spending my time like this was really worth it. So I began to let go of the company a little and started looking for a better work-life balance.'
She bought an 80 million-won fixer-upper in Gangwon Province and converted it into an Airbnb.
'I love traveling, and I always enjoyed staying in Airbnbs overseas,' she said. 'I only take one team every two days, and I let them check out late in the afternoon.'
Living in Seoul, she hired someone to clean the property and handled only the reservations herself. She earned about 7 to 8 million won a year from it until recently, when she gave birth to her first child.
'This was something I truly enjoyed and found meaningful, so I didn't feel as tired. I used to run a blog and act as a proxy for overseas shopping orders, but those felt like having a second full-time job.'
She said she would consider quitting her day job if her side hustle income grew.
'Running an Airbnb offers more than just income. It gives people a space to rest and connect. That means something to me.'
Professor Lee Byung-hoon, honorary professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University, said the phenomenon stems from both financial and cultural factors.
'First, people take on side jobs because they are dissatisfied with the income or meaning they get from their main job and want to prepare for something new,' he said. 'Second, people no longer see their main jobs as lifelong careers. They're mentally prepared to leave when the time feels right.'
Prof Lee also pointed to deeper societal roots. 'Korea's education system doesn't help people figure out what they enjoy. So many only start asking those questions after they've entered the workforce,' he said.
From an employer's standpoint, this trend may not reflect ideal work ethics, Lee noted. 'Companies want their employees to rest after hours.'
However, the trend is expected to accelerate.
Unlike in the 20th century, jobs today are less secure and are disrupted by advances like AI. More people will likely move around based on job opportunities instead of staying with one company for life, he said.
According to The Korea Herald's analysis of microdata from Statistics Korea's Economically Active Population Survey, 677,300 people said they had worked a side job in the past week as of June — a 35 per cent jump from 498,440 in June 2015. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK