38.5% of Office Workers Are 'Pro N-Jobbers'... Growth in Related Books as Platform-Based N-Jobs Increase

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] According to a recent survey by the employment platform JobKorea, 38.5% of office workers are N-jobbers who have side jobs in addition to their main job. The economic situation, where it has become difficult to maintain a satisfactory quality of life with just a salary, and the job insecurity formed after COVID-19 seem to have influenced office workers' entry into N-jobs. The number of people seeking related books following the skills of successful N-jobbers is steadily increasing.

The fields of N-jobs that utilize majors and specialties are endless, ranging from finance to arts and education. Among them, the fields particularly attracting digital native generation office workers are N-jobs based on online platforms such as smart stores and SNS. According to Yes24's analysis, books related to online platforms account for 36.26% of books on various N-job topics.

As a result, the total number of new books in the 'Internet Marketing' and 'Internet Business' categories within the 'Economics & Business' and 'IT & Mobile' fields increased from 60 in 2020 to 83 in 2021, showing sales growth for three consecutive years. It suggests that employment insecurity caused by COVID-19 and the non-face-to-face and online nature of jobs have fueled office workers' academic enthusiasm and interest in N-jobs in related fields.

Among related bestsellers, books on Naver Smart Store and blogs occupy the top three ranks, and guides on side jobs and two-job strategies related to SNS, live commerce, and overseas purchasing agency also stand out. These platforms have relatively low entry barriers for the digital native generation, can be started with minimal capital, and can be operated stably even after work hours.

Meanwhile, moving beyond the past concept of side jobs solely for economic purposes, there is a recent trend of seeking additional satisfaction and achievement through N-jobs. These are people who want to expand their careers or find what they truly want to do by starting side projects when they cannot immediately resign. Essays and self-development books containing the experiences and concerns of side projectors are also steadily being published.

“I Thought This Life Was Ruined?”, by professional sub-character maker Angayeon, a comedian, webtoon artist, and YouTuber, is a book that presents how to start side projects that are fun and that one can do well, as well as how to nurture sub-characters. “The Moment When Ambiguous Talents Become Weapons” explains the core of transforming ordinary talents into content and how to find and develop the work you want. “Independent Worker” tells the stories of nine independent workers who create the work they want either inside or outside the company.

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