[Work Life Guide] "Can You Live on Salary Alone?" Risks of Side Jobs You Should Know About

After Work, Side Jobs Like YouTuber, Substitute Driver, Delivery Worker
Carefully Check Company's 'No Moonlighting' Clause
Concerns Over 'Main Job Interference... Diligent Side Job' Being Seen as 'Offense'

Editor's Note'Workplace' is where we spend the most time during the day. How do you spend your time there? Some people liken working life to a 'Go board'?meaning there are many unexpected variables, and the workplace is a place filled with the joys and sorrows of life. How can one succeed in their career? We have compiled the know-how in this workplace life guide.

#1. Mr. Kim, a worker in his 30s, recently launched a YouTube channel. Kim said, "I'm trying to earn some extra income through YouTube. The company salary alone is just not enough. I know many other workers also have side jobs like this." He added, "I don't expect big profits. I would be grateful just to make a modest amount of pocket money."

#2. Manager Kim in his 40s works as a delivery person after work. Kim said, "As my children grow up, the financial burden naturally increases." He continued, "The company doesn't know yet, but even if they do, I don't think it will be a big problem. I work about 1 to 2 hours in the evening. It doesn't interfere with my main job, does it?" he emphasized.

Recently, due to rising prices and high interest rates, the number of so-called 'N-jobbers'?workers holding multiple jobs?has increased. It is difficult to live satisfactorily on salary alone, so they try to earn additional living expenses through side jobs. This is a form of income diversification. They prefer side jobs that can be done freely during spare time, such as walking deliveries or convenience store part-time work.

Part-time job recruitment notice posted at a store in downtown Seoul. Office workers who prefer side jobs are also showing interest in so-called 'split shift part-time jobs' that can be done after work. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The number of people with side jobs has been increasing every year. According to the Federation of Korean Industries, the number of people with side jobs rose from 411,000 in 2017 to 429,000 in 2018, and 463,000 in 2019. In 2020, the number slightly decreased to 432,000 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it increased again for two consecutive years, reaching 496,000 in 2021 and 547,000 (as of the third quarter) in 2022.

There is also a survey result showing that more than half of workers are considering side jobs. According to a survey conducted by New Worker, a human cloud platform under Incruit, targeting 881 workers from May 18 to 22 last year, 57.9% of respondents answered "yes" when asked if they intended to find a side job to cover living expenses amid high inflation and interest rates. Four out of ten workers have already experienced side jobs. Among all respondents, 41.4% said they had side job experience. The most common type of side job was 'testing and reviewing' (22.7%).

Some respond that having a side job itself alleviates anxiety. Mr. Choi, in his late 30s, also runs a YouTube channel. Choi said, "I am very satisfied just to have started (a side job). It brings me happiness." He added, "Of course, that happiness hasn't yet translated into money, but isn't it just having a hope?" According to Choi, he has not yet earned any income from YouTube. However, just starting a side job gives him great peace of mind.

However, among workers, there is anxiety that having a side job might lead to disadvantages from the company. Another worker, Mr. Park, who is exploring side jobs, said, "(Anyone can have a side job while considering their company life)," but he expressed concern, "The problem is the company's response. If the employment contract or company rules prohibit it, it could be an issue."

In fact, most companies include a 'prohibition of concurrent employment' clause in their employment contracts. This is to prevent employees from engaging in activities through side jobs that could harm the company's interests. Side jobs might interfere with the main job, involve double employment at a competing company, leak company secrets, or damage the company's reputation or credit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Given this situation, some workers worry about their side jobs being discovered by their companies and share a kind of 'side job know-how' that must be followed. This includes checking whether there is overlapping employment insurance and the scale of income beyond salary.

Employment insurance does not allow duplicate enrollment, and if enrolled, the company is notified. If income outside of salary exceeds 20 million KRW, additional 'income-based insurance premiums' must be paid. In such cases, the company might check individual income certificates or, during year-end tax adjustments, if health insurance premiums exceed the amount previously paid, they may infer other income sources. Types of income that can lead to additional health insurance premiums include earned income, interest income, dividend income, rental income (such as monthly rent), pension income, other income, and business income.

However, workers agree that the real problem is not the company discovering the side job and taking related procedures, but rather the stigma that may be attached. This is an important point to know for successful workplace life.

Manager Kim, a middle manager at a company, said, "Even if there are cases where violating the prohibition of concurrent employment clause is not clear-cut, the problem is the perception from higher-ups that 'the employee is not fully focused on their work and is doing side jobs!'" He added, "Once such a perception forms, it is really hard to reverse."

An HR official from a company gave similar advice. He said, "It's natural to be interested in or have side jobs," but added, "If the side job income is reported and the company knows about it, that might be a later issue." He continued, "But whether the company owner views this positively is another matter. I hope many workers carefully consider and judge these situations before deciding on side jobs."

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