Side hustles change the way young people in UK see work and careers

London | Oct. 23, 2026, 5:00 a.m. ET | 4 min read When the workweek is done, it isn’t quite over for Dylan Harwood.Monday through Friday, this 26-year-old Londoner teaches a classroom full of raucous 9-year-olds. But on the weekends, he trades school tables for turntables. Mr. Harwood has a side hustle as a DJ.The weekend work helps him earn several hundred pounds extra each month – useful money in the expensive capital of a country where people have increasingly been feeling the pinch. But there’s another factor at play here.“I love doing it,” he says. “It combines all the things I love – music, bringing people together, dancing. Everyone should have some sort of creative outlet in their life. I’m just lucky that mine can bring me some extra income.”Mr. Harwood is not alone. He says many of his friends also have more than one job. And like him, it’s for a mix of reasons – financial and fun.Don’t give up the day jobAsk a young Briton what they do for work, and you might get a long answer: I’m a carpenter, but I trade collectables. I’m a social worker, but I also walk dogs. I’m a research analyst, but I also train AIs. I’m a Ph.D. candidate, but I also deliver pizza. Courtesy of Max BaconMax Bacon, a 26-year-old Briton from southern England, is pictured with dozens of vintage football shirts that he buys and sells as a side hustle to supplement his income as a carpenter. Call them Generation Side Hustle, a cohort of 20-somethings who take second, or even third, jobs to make ends meet. The movement isn’t limited to Britain, but the combination here of heavy student debt, high property prices, dwindling career opportunities, and a perennial entrepreneurial spirit makes young Britons particularly avid hustlers. It feels necessary, but also natural in the U.K. Accurate statistics are hard to come by, as a lot of side hustles take place in the informal economy. But one recent survey found that as many as two-thirds of youngsters may be moonlighting. It put the average income from side hustles at £872 ($1,168) per month.“It is predominantly younger workers that [are] driving this rise in side hustles,” says Josh Toovey, head of research at IPSE, a self-employment association, which scrutinized government tax data and found a sharp rise in young people filing returns.There are three key reasons why 20-somethings dabble in extra work far more often than past generations. The first explanation is that they have to.“Look at the cost of houses compared to current salaries,” says Max Bacon, a 26-year-old carpenter who buys and sells vintage soccer shirts as a side hustle. “You have to find a niche, an extra income, but it isn’t easy.”Experts point to a slowing economy and labor market as the principal drivers of the trend. “The obvious driver is the economics,” says Andrew Smith, an academic who has written a series of reports on the gig economy. “People are doing it because they don’t get enough pay. If you have a part-time job, you can’t get part-time rent or part-time mortgage.”Furthermore, good qualifications are no guarantee of a job these days. “Some people with master’s degrees are doing two, three, even four jobs, because they can’t get one decent job,” Dr. Smith adds.People such as Georgina Carbery. The 23-year-old University of Cambridge graduate has three side hustles while she figures out what her “main hustle” will be. She drives a grocery van, tutors students, and also occasionally delivers Just Eat meals on her bicycle.“It’s a bit of extra money, and I’m getting fitter on my bike,” she says of the latter. “I feel like my own boss.” Courtesy of Alex HjortholAlex Hjorthol is pictured with his camera on the Auckland islands off the coast of New Zealand. For Mr. Hjorthol, wildlife photography is a side hustle that he hopes will develop into a business. Innovation and creativityThen, there’s technology that’s fostering greater invention. Opportunities abound – online tutoring, upcycling clothes, digital creation, and social media influencing. The possibilities for the budding entrepreneur are almost limitless.“It’s the combination of technology and fully remote jobs that has allowed these side hustles to start,” says Mr. Toovey. “There aren’t many barriers. ... As long as you have a computer or mobile phone, you can start selling.” The trend has the potential to revolutionize attitudes toward jobs, careers, and work-life balance. Many young Britons appear to relish their freedom – and their independent spirit is once again driving up the number of self-employed people in the U.K., which collapsed during the pandemic.But perhaps the most positive reason for all the side hustling is that many young people simply enjoy it. For some, it’s a chance to do something creative, away from the long slog of the nine-to-five. For others, it’s a speculative enterprise that might ultimately lead to an exciting career opportunity.Abi Levy finds that her side hustle – dog walking and pet illustrating – is a breath of fresh air after a long week of social work. “I do it for a creative outlet and the pleasure that it brings me,” she says. Courtesy of Abi LevyBriton Abi Levy sells illustrations to pet owners as a sideline to her main job as a social worker. Alexander Hjorthol hopes his creative outlet might develop into something substantial. He teaches part time and tutors, but spends most of his week taking photographs of wildlife and building a following on social media.He sells some prints and plans to teach photography, too, but his real moon shot is monetizing his Instagram. Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. “There is this feeling that if you work away at something, there is always the chance that it might explode,” he says. “It’s very much a Generation Z idea.”“It’s a golden ticket,” he adds. “It’s about reaching for your dreams.” ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.