"Uploading Workout Videos on YouTube"... The 2030 Generation Doing 'N Jobs' After Work [Heo Midam's Youth Report]

8 out of 10 Office Workers Say They Are Willing to Have a "Two Jobs"
Experts Say the "N-Job Craze" Will Continue Even After the COVID-19 Pandemic

A citizen is exercising at a gym in Seoul. (Photo is not related to the article content)

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[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] # Park Mo (29), a third-year employee working at an advertising company, recently started creating beauty content and uploading it to YouTube. Park said, "I have always been interested in fashion and beauty. Especially last year, when I started working from home due to COVID-19, I had more free time, so I began filming and editing videos." He added, "I don't expect to make a lot of money. But if my YouTube subscribers increase and my earnings grow, I might switch to being a full-time YouTuber. The COVID-19 situation has made the job market very unstable, so I felt the need to prepare for the future." he added.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued for over a year, the so-called 'N-job tribe'?people holding two or more jobs?has increased, especially among the newly employed 20s and 30s generation and non-regular workers. They are found to work as delivery couriers after work, engage in YouTube activities, or run online shopping malls, ensuring these jobs do not overlap with their regular working hours.

In the past, many people considered one company as a lifelong workplace, but due to increased anxiety about the future caused by COVID-19, it has become difficult to be devoted to just one job. Experts predict that the 'N-job craze' among office workers will continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jung Mo (27), a first-year employee working at a small and medium-sized enterprise, is taking online lectures on video editing after work. Jung said, "Due to the company's difficult situation caused by COVID-19, it has become hard to expect a salary increase. On top of that, the rising cost of living made me feel I needed to learn something, so I enrolled in the course." He added, "Once I become more proficient in video editing, I plan to do video editing part-time as a side job."

The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

As such, the number of office workers wanting to have two jobs is increasing. According to a survey conducted by Job Korea in October last year targeting 642 office workers, 84.1% of respondents expressed willingness to have a second job. In particular, 16.4% of respondents said, "I am already doing a second job."

By age group, those in their 20s (86.5%) and 30s (86.0%) showed a high willingness to have a second job, while the group aged 40 and above had a relatively lower response rate of 76.3% for willingness to have a second job.

The biggest reason office workers hope to have a second job was ▲to earn additional income (85.6%). This was followed by ▲to try work they have been interested in (17.0%), ▲having free time after work (16.5%), and ▲as part of self-development or hobbies (13.7%).

Consequently, interest in 'YouTube' among office workers is also rising. Some office workers engage as YouTubers after work, earning advertising revenue and more.

Another office worker, Lee Mo (29), said, "I run a YouTube channel where I upload videos of myself exercising. Fortunately, as the number of subscribers increased, I started receiving product sponsorships and advertisements." He added, "It started as a hobby, but it has become a small source of pocket money."

He continued, "Recently, I have been trying to upload videos more frequently and communicate with subscribers through comments, making efforts to operate the YouTube channel more seriously."

It was found that quite a few office workers operate personal YouTube channels like Lee. According to a survey by Incruit targeting 735 adults (539 office workers), 29.3% of office workers responded that they operate a personal YouTube channel.

They cited reasons for running YouTube channels as ▲hobbies and daily record-keeping (47.0%), ▲income generation and side jobs (36.7%), and ▲building work experience and portfolios (10.2%).

Experts predict that the 'N-job craze' among office workers will spread further. Professor Kim Taegi of Dankook University’s Department of Economics analyzed, "With the increase in remote work compared to the past, there is also more free time. This has increased the possibility of trying second jobs. Not only in Korea but also in other countries, the labor pattern of combining main jobs and side jobs is increasing. This trend will continue even after the COVID-19 pandemic."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.