The rise of the side hustle

Summary

Marketplace Morning Report: "The rise of the side hustle"

Date: May 5, 2026
Host: Sabri Ben-Achour
Length: ~9 minutes
Main Theme:
This episode explores the growing trend of side hustles and multiple job-holding in the U.S., tying it to economic pressures, inflation, and changes in the job market. The episode also briefly touches on global fuel markets, the cost of high-profile events, and ongoing water scarcity in the American West.

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The Rise of the Side Hustle

Key Discussion Points

• Prevalence of Multiple Jobs
  • About 8.5 million people in the U.S. hold more than one job, or 1 in 20 workers. This number is just below last fall’s peak, the highest since 1999. [00:28]
• Historical Context
  • Reference to late 1990s economic conditions, highlighting similarities between then and now, particularly changes driven by technology and economic uncertainty.
  • Nicole Smith (Georgetown University): "We're spending a lot more time talking about the fact that we have increased levels of automation, what that means for job holders." [01:02]
• Modern Drivers: AI and Gig Economy
  • Concerns over AI replacing entry-level jobs and forcing younger people into patchwork livelihoods via side hustles or gig work like DoorDash, Uber, and freelancing. [01:12]
• Economic Pressure from Inflation
  • Corey Staley (Indeed Hiring Lab) explains that the main motivator is straightforward: "More jobs means more money," especially amid rising living costs and inflation.
  • “In the last 12 months, real wages only went up by like 0.1%. ... so essentially real wages haven’t changed.” [01:27]
  • The price of gasoline is highlighted as a particularly volatile expense, possibly influencing people to seek extra work. [01:27]
• Recent Shifts & Outlook
  • In the past four months, the percentage of people with multiple jobs has declined slightly, but persistent inflation and rising oil prices may reverse that trend. [01:51]

Notable Quotes

• Sabri Ben-Achour: “Side hustles, side gigs, moonlighting, whatever you call it, a lot of people are doing it.”
• Nicole Smith: “We're spending a lot more time talking about the fact that we have increased levels of automation, what that means for job holders.” [01:02]
• Corey Staley: “I don’t think there’s any coincidence, you know, with the cost of a lot of different things going up and inflation... the pressure to get another job might increase.” [01:27]

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Economic and International News Highlights

Oil Markets & Inflation

• Cratering Oil Imports in Asia
  • Oil imports to Asia fell 30% in April (lowest since 2015). Governments are trying to buffer the shock with fuel subsidies and cuts to fuel taxes. [02:16]
• Met Gala Cost Spike
  • Even cultural events aren’t immune: Met Gala ticket prices hit $100,000, up from $75,000 last year—a sign of widespread inflation. [02:46]

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Western Water Crisis Update

Colorado River & Lake Powell

• Overview
  • Lake Powell’s water levels are dropping due to a mega-drought worsened by climate change, threatening power generation and water distribution for 40 million people. [04:48]
• State Collaboration
  • California, Arizona, and Nevada announced a plan to “stabilize the Colorado River” through 2028, including a 13% reduction in California’s use, with reductions also from Arizona and Nevada. [05:10]
• Expert Commentary
  • Amy Scott (host, How We Survive, Marketplace climate podcast) shares:
    • “[Lake Powell] is at risk of falling below the level necessary to generate power or potentially even send water downstream.” [05:41]
    • Emergency measures include releasing water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir and restricting outflows from Lake Powell. [06:24]
    • San Diego County’s desalination initiative could allow it to sell rights to Colorado River water to other states. [06:55]

Desalination as an Alternative

• Quote from Michelle Peters (Channelside Water Resources):
  • “It’s not going to be the end all, be all solution for everyone... but it is very much a fantastic tool to have in the tool belt when you’re looking at how to increase new water supply sources.” [07:33]
• Challenges
  • Desalination is energy-intensive and creates brine, a byproduct with environmental concerns, but demand is likely to grow globally due to climate change.

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Notable Quotes and Moments

• Kaylee Wells (on economic pressures):
  • “More jobs means more money... with the price increases resulting from the war in Iran, Staley says the pressure to get another job might increase.” [01:27–01:42]
• Amy Scott (on the water crisis):
  • “It is pretty grim. ... you can see it just looking at the mountains here in Colorado and also in Utah, we’ve had the lowest snowpack on record.” [05:41]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:28 – Introduction to side hustle trend and statistics
• 01:02 – Historical context, Nicole Smith on automation
• 01:12 – Comparison with today’s AI changes
• 01:27–01:51 – Corey Staley on inflation’s role, real wages, gasoline
• 02:16 – International oil market shifts and Met Gala inflation
• 04:48–07:47 – Western drought, Lake Powell, and water policy discussion with Amy Scott
• 07:33 – Michelle Peters on desalination's role
• 05:41, 06:24, 07:47 – Key insights and solutions on water shortages

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Tone & Style

The episode delivers clear, trustworthy reporting with a direct, informative style—occasionally lightened with conversational exchanges and relatable analogies. The tone blends urgency (in economic and environmental segments) with accessibility.

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Summary Takeaways

• The side hustle is here to stay, driven by inflation, stagnating real wages, gig opportunities, and technological change.
• Price pressures from global events and fuel markets touch everything, from household budgets to high-society events.
• Climate-driven scarcity is forcing major adaptation in the American West, with a mix of conservation, innovation, and cross-state collaboration.
• Desalination and interstate water sales hint at the kinds of creative solutions—albeit imperfect ones—being considered for the water crisis.

This episode is a brisk but comprehensive primer on how economic and environmental pressures are reshaping both personal livelihoods and public policy in 2026.

Transcript

[Marketplace Announcer]

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[Sabri Ben-Achour]

side hustles, side gigs, moonlighting, whatever you call it, a lot of people are doing it. From Marketplace, I'm Sabri Ben Ashore About 8 1/2 million people in the US hold down more than one job, basically 1 in 20 workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That is just a smidge lower than last fall, when the percentage of people running multiple gigs hit the highest level since 1999. Marketplace's Kaylee Wells has more.

[Kaylee Wells]

Back in 1999, we were living in the moment before the dot com bubble burst, economist Nicole Smith with Georgetown University says.

[Marketplace Announcer]

We're spending a lot more time talking about the fact that we have increased levels of automation, what that means for job holders.

[Kaylee Wells]

Sound familiar? Today it's all about AI replacing entry level jobs and forcing young people to piece together. Side hustles A lot of people are

[Marketplace Announcer]

combining their primary job with the gig economy like doordash and Uber and freelance work.

[Kaylee Wells]

There's also a simpler reason why more people are working multiple jobs. More jobs means more money, says economist Corey Staley with Indeed Hiring Lab. And I don't think there's any coincidence, you know, with the cost of a lot of different things going up and inflation, obviously, you know, we saw that rise. And with the price increases resulting from the war in Iran, Staley says the pressure to get another job might increase. In the last 12 months, real wages only went up by like 0.1%. You know, so essentially real wages haven't changed. But clearly, just in the last, you know, few weeks, the price of gasoline has in the past four months, the percentage of people who work multiple jobs had started to inch downward. But Staley says he'll be watching to see whether stubborn inflation and rising oil prices reverse that. I'm Kayleigh Wells for Marketplace.

[Sabri Ben-Achour]

Overall, oil imports to Asia cratered 30% in April to the lowest level since 2015. Meanwhile, many governments there are trying to insulate their populations from the shock by spending more on fuel subsidies or cutting fuel taxes. Even the Met Gala is not immune to inflation. Ticket prices hit six figures for the first time in the event's 80 year history. $100,000 for the invite only fundraiser. That is up from 75,000 last year.

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[Sabri Ben-Achour]

Morning Lake Powell, on the border of Utah and Arizona, produces hydropower for nearly 6 million people. A 20 year mega drought fueled by climate change has caused its water levels to fall significantly and that is changing how water from the Colorado river is being shared between seven states, 30 tribes and 40 million people. Just a few days ago, California, Arizona and Nevada announced a water saving plan. They would try to, quote, stabilize the Colorado river through 2028. It would involve a 13% reduction in California's use of the river water and Arizona and Nevada would also cut back. For more, we called up Marketplace's Amy Scott. She's host of our climate podcast How We Survive. She's been following the situation from her home base in Denver.

[Amy Scott]

She hi Amy, hi Sabri.

[Sabri Ben-Achour]

Just how bad is the situation right now?

[Amy Scott]

Oh man, it is pretty grim. I mean, you can see it just looking at the mountains here in Colorado and Also in Utah, we've had the lowest snowpack on record, which just means less water flowing into the Colorado river, which has already been in decline for most of this century because of overuse and drought, which has been made worse by climate change. So right now, Lake Powell, which is the reservoir created by the Glen Canyon Dam near the Arizona Utah border, is at risk of falling below the level necessary to generate power or potentially even send water downstream.

[Sabri Ben-Achour]

How do you fix that? Like, the water's gotta come from somewhere or not go to somewhere else.

[Amy Scott]

Yeah, I mean, it's really tough. The federal government has started some emergency measures to prop up Lake Powell by releasing water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, which is upstream on the Green Green river in Wyoming. So up to a third of its current storage will be released over the coming year. It's also reducing how much water is released from Lake Powell to downstream communities, which will mean significant water restrictions. And one interesting development, San Diego county has excess water actually from its desalination plant. And so it's talking with Nevada and Arizona about potentially selling some of its water to make up for some of those shortages.

[Sabri Ben-Achour]

And I know from listening to your podcast that you have visited that plant.

[Amy Scott]

Yeah, it's interesting. So how we survived did a whole season on the water crisis in the West a few years ago, and we toured this plant in Carlsbad, California, that pumps in water from the Pacific Ocean and treats it through a process called reverse osmosis. I tried tasting it. It's totally normal. Here's a clip from our tour from Michelle Peters, who is now the CEO of Channelside Water Resources, which owns the plant.

[Kaylee Wells]

It's not going to be the end all, be all solution for everyone. It's not going to be the one thing that we can do, and that's it. But it is very much a fantastic tool to have in the tool belt when you're looking at how to increase new water supply sources.

[Amy Scott]

San Diego county wouldn't actually pipe desalinated water to Arizona or Nevada, but the county itself holds rights to the Colorado river, some Colorado river water. So this would involve selling some of its allocation to these other users and then using the proceeds to produce more desalinated water. Water. I should say Desal is a bit controversial. It's really energy intensive and there are concerns about the brine that is created as a byproduct and how it affects marine life. But no question there will continue to be growing demand for desalination around the world as climate change and overuse threaten water supplies.

[Sabri Ben-Achour]

Amy Scott, host of Marketplaces climate podcast, how We Survive. Amy, thank you so much.

[Amy Scott]

You're welcome.

[Sabri Ben-Achour]

Our producers are Emma Condon, Tamar Fagan, Ashley Rodriguez, Arianna Rosas and Erica Soderstrom. Our senior producer is Alex Schroeder. Our supervising senior producer is Meredith Garretson Morby. And in New York, I'm Sabri Benishour with the Marketplace morning Report. From apm, American Public Media.

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[Amy Scott]

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[Kaylee Wells]

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[Amy Scott]

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There's a bunch of new episodes out now, so go listen to Million Bazillion on your favorite podcast. APPLAUSE.