Half of Self-Employed Work 2 Jobs to Make Ends Meet

Half of all self-employed people in Korea have been working two jobs to make ends meet amid the coronavirus epidemic, a straw poll suggests.

Job search portal Incruit polled 1,599 people who have been looking for jobs since the outbreak, and 47.4 percent said they work in a second job in addition to their main line of work.

Some 22.1 percent of salaried employees are also working two jobs. Overall 13.5 percent are working two jobs and 35.7 percent are considering the option.

When asked why, 45.1 percent cited declining income from their main line of work due to the epidemic, with 64.7 percent of self-employed people and 35.5 percent of salaried workers.

An Incruit staffer said, "Self-employed people have seen revenues decline in lockdown, and salaried workers have been placed on paid or unpaid leave."

But it is not easy to find a second job, with 96.5 percent of respondents saying it has become more difficult to find part-time work.