With ‘hustle culture’ a much-discussed term in 2023, a new study by Yell has revealed which professions are most likely to have a ‘side hustle’, as well as the most popular choices when it comes to choosing a secondary source of income.
Using data sourced from YouGov to discover the professions that are most likely to have a second job, it’s accountants that come out on top. No strangers to understanding finances and making money work harder, it’s a profession blessed with multiple transferable skills that likely make it easier for accountants deciding to embark on a supplementary venture and income. In fact, almost 1 in 10 (9%) accountants were found to have second jobs.
Network managers, who help to design, install and run an organisation’s IT, data and telephone systems followed. Another profession with a wealth of transferrable skills, an obvious side hustle choice is to become a freelance IT consultant, or many will likely try their hand at some IT development work.
A wide range of professions follow to make up the top ten, including engineers, tradespeople and people working in sales or administrative roles. Interestingly, teachers fell just outside of the top ten, with 3% working a second role. This equates to almost 17,000 teachers in the UK alone, that are adding to their income with a side hustle.
The Professions That Are Most Likely To Have A Second Job
| Rank | Profession | % that have a side hustle |
| 1 | Accountant | 8.73% |
| 2 | Network manager | 7.31% |
| 3 | Sales associate | 7.31% |
| 4 | Administrative assistant | 6.46% |
| 5 | Personal banker | 5.78% |
| 6 | Engineer | 4.67% |
| 7 | Caregiver | 4.06% |
| 8 | Software developer/programmer | 3.89% |
| 9 | Financial or business analyst | 3.73% |
| 10 | Tradesperson | 3.64% |
But what are all of these people doing to make more money, in their time outside of their primary career choice? Yell used Google search data to find out, by analysing the number of people searching for common side hustle choices using terms such as ‘how to be a/an [side hustle name]’ and ‘[side hustle name] jobs.’
With many people in the working world also having a driving licence, becoming a driver for an app such as Uber or Lyft is a somewhat simple step to make, so could come as no surprise that it ranks as the most popular side hustle choice in 2023. Offering the opportunity to pick and choose your hours, and how much work you actually take on, there’s an obvious appeal to a whole host of ‘behind the wheel’ professions.
Flexibility is a theme that continues through the top spots, with other popular choices including freelance positions and roles such as being a transcriptionist, proof-reader or writer, all of which often allow you to choose when and how long you’re working for. However, the results also reveal that a second job can be something that allows you to indulge your interests a little more than your main source of income potentially offers, with the likes of dog walker, photographer and artist also ranking.
The 15 Most Popular Side Hustles in 2023
| Rank | Side Hustle profession | Total search volume (worldwide) |
| 1 | Uber Driver | 453,600 |
| 2 | Freelancer | 306,400 |
| 3 | Transcriptionist | 110,480 |
| 4 | Writer | 107,100 |
| 5 | Graphic Designer | 78,400 |
| 6 | Babysitter | 75,900 |
| 7 | Artist | 64,100 |
| 8 | Copywriter | 54,900 |
| 9 | Delivery driver | 49,610 |
| 10 | Proof-reader | 40,820 |
| 11 | Cleaner | 40,570 |
| 12 | Dog walker | 35,500 |
| 13 | Designer | 33,980 |
| 14 | Trader | 33,980 |
| 15 | Photographer | 29,000 |
The Fastest Growing Side Hustles
With modern life and technology moving at such a fast pace, the study also looked at the side hustle options that are growing in popularity the fastest. Comparing the number of Google searches in late 2022 to early 2023, it’s clear that the world of Esports (professional gaming) continues to expand, with a 30% increase in people searching for how they can get in on the sizeable prize money offered to Esports players, many of which start out on the side of their original career or studies.
Elsewhere, the creative draw of becoming a part-time nail artist has grown by 24%, while the popularity of the flexible incomes offered by becoming a transcriptionist (+23%), proof-reader (+22%) or Uber driver (+22%) continue to boom.
Mark Clisby, Co-CEO of Yell commented: “Supplementing your income in various ways has become a lot more popular in recent years, with modern technologies and business making it easier to earn more and live a more comfortable life financially.
For some though, having a second job is a necessity, especially within the current cost-of-living crisis. Whilst at times having a ‘side hustle’ can be romanticised, it’s worth remembering the stress some people can be under when having to work in two jobs simultaneously to make ends meet.
Be it a passion project or a necessity, mental health is paramount, so our advice would always be to work out whether your ‘side hustle’ is manageable and will not be a detriment to your own time or health. For some, it could also be worth assessing whether your ‘job on the side’ could actually end up being more fruitful than what you currently view as your primary career. If so, it could be worth taking the leap, and prioritising it full-time, as its often how great businesses can get their start!”
