Is a side hustle really the only thing separating you from the life you desire? Listening to some influencers on social media could certainly have you thinking so.
Side hustles encompass a range of self-directed entrepreneurial activities undertaken while also working a job. For young people with limited access to capital, they’re the most accessible opportunity to engage in entrepreneurship.
Yet, we still know very little about who takes them on and why, and what kind of impact they have on working life in economies like Australia.
Our new report, Side Hustles: How Young People Are Redefining Work, presents the first wave of findings from an ongoing three-year, mixed-methods study that seeks to answer these questions.
In our first year of data collection, we surveyed 1,497 side hustlers ages 18 to 34 and interviewed a further 68. Our findings raise questions about the merits of entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment or a pathway to financial freedom.
What makes a side hustle?
To be included in our project, a young person had to be employed, but also carrying out some form of entrepreneurship.
We defined entrepreneurship as self-directed economic activity, where the side hustler has some measure of control over when they work, who they work for, and what they charge.
