Millennials aren’t afraid of hard work. In fact, many are putting in far more than forty hours a week. But a new survey from Academized.com shows that extra time isn’t necessarily going into career development and chasing corporate promotions—it’s going into building side hustles.
Side Hustles on the Rise
Out of 2,500 millennials surveyed, more than half (52%) said they have at least one side hustle. A third are managing four or more jobs at once. The average side hustle income? Around $12,689 a year, with top earners making as much as $45,000.
There’s no question that money plays a role. Forty-one percent said their side gigs have helped ease financial stress. But the survey points to something deeper: 58% of millennials see polyworking—not just working multiple jobs but juggling multiple career paths—as a long-term lifestyle, not a temporary fix.
Polyworking
It’s a shift in how younger workers think about career development. Building a life around one job and climbing one company’s ladder isn’t the goal for many anymore. Growth looks like having options, building different skills, and diversifying income streams. A full-time job might be one piece of the puzzle, but it’s not the whole picture.
There’s a cost, of course. About 42% of polyworkers say they’ve hit burnout from juggling too much. But for a lot of millennials, the tradeoff feels worth it.
Wake-Up Call for Employers
For employers, this should be a wake-up call. If companies want to keep ambitious employees, offering promotions and titles isn’t enough. People want growth, flexibility, and a chance to pursue passions—sometimes even inside their day jobs. Companies that create room for internal entrepreneurship, side projects, and real skill-building could keep more talent around longer.
The reality is clear: millennials are willing to work hard. They’re just being more intentional about where they invest that energy—and it isn’t always inside company walls.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.