Four years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a noticeable increase in women's participation in the labor force. In February 2020, 77% of women aged 25 to 54 were engaged in the workforce, and by February 2024, this figure had risen to 77.7%, approaching the peak of 77.8% recorded in June 2023 – the highest rate since 2007. It's evident that prime-age women, particularly those between 25 and 54, are instrumental in driving the labor market's recovery from the effects of the pandemic.
The trend of reentering the labor force for many women involves taking on multiple jobs. There has been a substantial increase in poly-employment, with more than doubling since 2021, as indicated by an analysis of 81,413,785 shifts of 420,219 hourly U.S. workers conducted by scheduling software company Deputy. Interestingly, 60% of those taking on multiple roles are women. Experts have identified several reasons behind this rise in poly-employment among women.
Firstly, women are significantly overrepresented in lower-paying sectors, particularly in the healthcare, hospitality, and services industries. For example, in 2023, female shift workers constituted a majority in the healthcare sector, comprising 77% of the workforce. In the hospitality and services industries, women also accounted for the majority of shift workers, at 60% and 55% respectively. The average hourly wages in these sectors are notably lower than the estimated living wage, with healthcare workers making $19 per hour, hospitality workers earning an average of $17.24 per hour, and service industry workers making an average of $14.44 per hour. This disparity in pay is a contributing factor to women taking on multiple jobs to supplement their income, especially during periods of inflation.
Moreover, certain groups of women, particularly young women, may find the need to take on a second job due to the lower-paying and entry-level jobs available to them. For instance, a significant number of 20-to-24-year-olds worked in food preparation and serving-related occupations, cashier roles, retail sales, and nursing assistant positions in 2023. These choices are often influenced by the need to boost their income due to the nature of these initial job opportunities.
More single women are picking up extra work as well. “It’s the largest percentage group of people who are working multiple jobs,” says Hilliard, “women who have never been married or women who are widowed or divorced.”
That could in part be because bearing the brunt of household costs is expensive. On average, single people in Denver spend $8,984 more per year on rent than couples, $9,000 more per year in Atlanta, and $20,100 more per year in New York, according to real estate marketplace Zillow. They also bear the brunt of rising inflation on their own, with prices up 3.2% year over year in February.
Finally, race might play a role in these statistics as well. A larger share of Black and Hispanic workers are employed in the service sector, according to BLS. Many times Black and Latina women “find that they’re not getting the salaries that they need,” says Hilliard, adding that, “they find they need to supplement their incomes.”
For some women, picking up a second gig is more a matter of choice than necessity. Some young women may do so to gain new skills across industries, for example.
And for married women with children, it could be a matter of flexibility.
“Women with very young children, so children under the age of five, are participating in the labor force at much higher rates now than they were before,” says Bauer. Only five years ago they were participating at a rate of about 65%. Today, they’re participating at a rate of more than 70%.
A woman who wants to work 30 hours per week can piece it together “with 20 hours from this clothing store and 10 hours over the weekend at the grocery store,” she says. “And that is actually what they desire.”
The deputy itself has seen this bear out. They “found that poly-employment stems from a need for scheduling flexibility as a result of lack of access to affordable child care,” says Martincevic. “Many women we studied are also part of the ‘sandwich generation,’ simultaneously caring for both children and aging parents.”
Bottom line, regardless of life circumstance or demographic, more women are picking up a second job because “women tend to do what they have to do,” says Hilliard.