Social Creators and Bloggers Gain Popularity
Some Hold Three or Four Side Jobs at Once
Yu, a 33-year-old office worker, spends an hour after work writing blog posts. She receives compensation for posting reviews after using affiliate products. She also participates in product testing groups, applying for experiences she wants, then writing reviews afterward. Yu said, "I started because all I needed was time, not any investment. If my blog grows, the additional income from other channels could help stabilize my life, so I keep at it consistently."
Kim, an office worker in his early 30s, is working as an event assistant. He said, "When I get freelance jobs related to events, I work as an interpreter." Another office worker, Choi (32), has started tutoring Chinese. He said, "I'm tutoring as a side job," and added, "I get paid about 15,000 won per hour and schedule sessions flexibly."
The landscape of side jobs, once dominated by delivery riders and substitute drivers, is changing. Various types of side jobs are emerging based on individual circumstances and abilities, and more people are taking on multiple side jobs at once.
According to the "2024 Single-Person Household Report" by KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, the proportion of social creators and bloggers among those with side jobs increased by 2.6 percentage points compared to 2022, while service jobs and part-time work rose by 0.6 percentage points. In reality, side jobs that use artificial intelligence (AI) to create short-form video content of less than one minute are gaining popularity. This is because even those without video editing experience can easily edit using mobile devices or PCs. A wide range of topics can be chosen, such as quotes, one-minute facts, animal clips, and humor compilations, and affiliate marketing can be done by adding links.
Some, like Yu, earn advertising revenue by managing their blogs. They receive compensation for writing product testing or affiliate posts, or they share revenue based on the number of ad clicks on their posts. In addition, there are many cases like Kim, who use their skills for freelance work such as interpreting or tutoring in their spare time.
Some people increase the number of side jobs they have, holding three or four at once. Seo, a 36-year-old freelancer, is juggling multiple side jobs to supplement her unstable income. On weekends, she works as a guest at weddings or 60th birthday parties, while on weekdays, she attends focus group discussions at large companies. She never misses opportunities to participate in sessions where companies gather feedback before launching new products, earning extra spending money. Seo said, "The advantage is that I can work and earn money whenever I want, rather than investing in uncertain cryptocurrencies or stocks," adding, "Nearly 40 percent of my total annual income comes from side jobs."
Lee, an office worker in his 30s, started a side job to make up for losses in the stock market. He said, "Every Saturday, I teach TOEIC classes at an acquaintance's academy," and added, "After losing 30 million won in stocks, I even started a part-time job at Coupang, but it's true that I'm physically exhausted." Kim, a 28-year-old office worker who works at a convenience store on weekends, said, "The 600,000 won I earn from my side job goes toward living expenses, and I plan to use my net monthly salary of 2.3 million won from my main job to pay off debt."
Kim Boksoon, a senior researcher at the Korea Labor Institute, said, "As daily life and consumption patterns become more digitalized, the forms of side jobs are also changing." She added, "The reason office workers are taking on side jobs, even though these positions are not stable, may be because their current jobs are insecure or because their basic income is not enough to support themselves or their families." She also said, "This situation is occurring because it is difficult to find quality jobs in an environment where employment is unstable."
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