The "Polyworking" Generation: Working Non-Stop Despite an Uncertain Future

For the older workforce, multitasking is often seen as a sign of instability. However, for younger generations, especially Generation Z, the opposite is true. For them, relying on a single job is too precarious, especially amidst uncertain political and economic conditions and the onslaught of artificial intelligence (AI).

That's why the phenomenon of young workers taking on multiple jobs has become increasingly prevalent recently. Starting with shift work..., Part-time work, permanent work, and even digital platform-based work, all held concurrently. This situation is commonly referred to as polyworking.

Studies estimate that around 18 percent of workers globally hold more than one job. According to The Big Shift 2026 research from Deputy (a provider of human resource technology solutions), the level of poly-employment in the United States reached its highest level in more than a decade. Gen Z dominates the workforce, accounting for approximately 55 percent of the total workforce, holding more than one job simultaneously.

In his research, Deputy looked at polyworking as a strategy to deal with a slowing job market, vacancies an entry level decreasing demand, anxiety about automation, and rising costs of living. 

In the US, the presence of AI is a driving factor. Nearly 60 percent of US workers surveyed believe AI will replace some or all of their jobs. This paradox is what has led a number of Gen Z workers in the US to decide to pursue polyworking. 

In England, polyworking is also growing. According to the BBC, more than 1 million Britons now have side jobs in addition to their primary job. This is driven by rising living costs, industry changes due to the emergence of AI, career uncertainty, and a decline in job openings to a five-year low.

In Indonesia, the phenomenon of young workers who are doing polyworking is also starting to develop. Through social media chats, they openly share their experiences and share tips and information with each other.

Rivano (23), a member of the Generation Z workforce, works as a lawyer at a law firm in Jakarta. Despite his high-profile profession, he still holds two side jobs as a legal content creator and a legal consultant. 

"For Branding yourself, increase your knowledge, increase your opportunities and increase your income," he said Kompas, Wednesday (3/6/2026). 

Galvan, one of the millennial generation workforce, also did it polyworking. He currently works in the private sector and has a side job starting an organic product business. "Because living costs are increasing. This also helps increase savings," he said.

Fenomena polyworking in Indonesia it is more influenced by wage structure, economic conditions, and labor market dynamics.

Stagnant wages

Responding to the phenomenon polyworking, economic researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Riandy Laksono, believes that the trend of young workers having more than one job is closely related to the trend of real wage stagnation in recent years.

Data from the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) shows that real wage growth from 2017 to 2024 was only around 0,6 percent per year. Post-pandemic, from 2022 to 2024, growth was even lower at around 1 percent per year. 

This situation contrasts with the relatively stable national economic growth of 5-5,5 percent. For young workers aged 15-24 with salaries ranging from Rp 2 million to Rp 2,5 million per month, one job is often insufficient to meet a decent standard of living, especially in urban areas with high living costs.

On the other hand, the impact of AI on the job market is considered more complex. AI will most rapidly replace repetitive, cognitive-based tasks, such as data processing, programming, and administrative work, as well as creative jobs.

However, this depends on the adoption rate in each country. Developing countries like Indonesia are relatively safer due to limited digital infrastructure, electricity, and the ability to pay for AI services.

In the Indonesian context, Riandy suspects the phenomenon polyworking driven more by low incomes than by AI utilization. Moreover, productive AI adoption is still limited and its uses are still basic, such as chat-based chatbot Generative AI.

Concerns are growing

The Prakarsa researcher, Pierre Bernardo Ballo, believes that there are several factors that trigger this phenomenon. polyworking in Indonesia. First, real income or take home pay no longer commensurate with the rising cost of living or expectations of future cost of living.   

Second, strong expectations. Many young workers feel that the cost of living will become increasingly difficult in the future, from rising house prices to increasingly expensive mortgage installments. This concern drives them to take action. frontloading, aka trying to collect as much income as possible from now on by taking on more than one job.

Third, structural factors in the economy and labor market. According to research by The Prakarsa, AI-based automation has the potential to replace workers in several sectors, such as agriculture, water supply, and manufacturing, although the relationship between AI and the increasing trend of unemployment is unclear. polyworking not direct. 

Pierre agrees, the phenomenon polyworking In Indonesia, the wage structure, economic conditions, and labor market dynamics are more influenced by the need for workers to have additional sources of income. This phenomenon is ultimately also increasingly influencing the tight dynamics of the modern labor market.

There is a dark side that must be observed behind this phenomenon. polyworking, namely stress, extreme fatigue (burnedt), and work overload.

In labor economics, there is a concept moonlighting, namely the practice of taking on side jobs which can have side effects crowding out in the labor market. This occurs when the employed workforce, particularly those with higher education and social capital, compete for additional job opportunities that would otherwise be accessible to job seekers.

As a result, unemployed groups such as recent graduates and workers with little experience face increasingly fierce competition. One symptom of this is the increasing number of entry-level vacancies (an entry level) which requires two to five years of work experience. This benefits workers already in the job market looking for a side hustle more than those just starting out. 

Poverty trap

Researcher at the Population Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Yanu Endar Prasetyo, reminded that there is a dark side that must be observed behind the phenomenon. polyworking, namely stress, extreme fatigue (burnedt), and work overload.

In a podcast with The Conversation on February 26, 2026, Yanu argued that working hard and balancing multiple jobs is generally only enough to survive, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee upward mobility. In fact, this situation can create a group of working poor (working poor).

According to Yanu, instead of planning long-term investments, some workers are actually trapped in survival mode. They work only to finance basic needs, such as food, education, and housing installments.

Facing this potential structural poverty trap, individual resilience alone will not be enough. The state, he said, must be present and intervene fundamentally. The government must not simply pursue quantitative job creation targets but must truly ensure their quality.





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This article was first published in kompas.id