In tough times, workers in Mass. go for seconds
Many forced to extra jobs as costs soar
By Ira Kantor and Katy JordanSunday, July 20, 2008
Finding a second job is fast becoming a first priority for stressed-out workers across Massachusetts.
Statistics show the number of Bay Staters holding or seeking extra employment has risen by about 16 percent in just five years, as breadwinners cope with stagnant wages and stagger under the backbreaking costs of everyday life.
Now, many moonlighters are skilled professionals like Dr. Daniel Muse of Brockton - people who long imagined that a single, hard-earned career would carry them through to retirement.
“I work regular hours here and additional shifts here and at other hospitals,” said Muse, 52, an attending emergency room doctor at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and father of five. “I don’t own a second home; we don’t live ostentatiously. We’re living, even at my earnings, paycheck to paycheck. Everyone feels the pain.”
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 5.6 percent of state workers were multiple jobholders in 2008, as compared to 4.8 percent in 2003 - a 16.7 percent jump. That trend jibes with data showing that 7.794 million Americans held multiple jobs in 2008, up from 7.135 million in 2000.
Academics, job recruiters and the workers themselves say people from across the employment spectrum will be competing ever harder for extra work come the fall, as the pain of tough times settles in.
“It is clear people are making all kinds of adjustments,” said Tom Kochan, professor of management at MIT’s Sloan School. “You see people taking on more overtime whenever possible. You see people taking on part-time jobs, and working off the books on contract jobs and maintenance jobs and home repair, using skills they maybe didn’t draw on for a while.”
Take Desi McElroy. At an age when retirement should be on his mind, the 60-year-old Irish resident of Watertown not only operates the Mugar Memorial Library mailroom at Boston University, but also bartends and works as a rental agent at his Hibernian Hall, clocking in 60 work hours a week.
McElroy depends on the extra money to cover car and house maintenance payments. “Without one of the jobs, I would probably just be able to get by,” he said.
McElroy isn’t the only baby boomer relying on multiple jobs to pay bills. With gas and food costs escalating daily, high-end professionals - among them lawyers, doctors, graphic designers and restaurateurs - are unable to support families with a solo occupation.
“There’s no job growth out there,” said Andy Sum, an economics professor and director for the Center of Labor Studies at Northeastern University. “Over the next year, you will find more workers who would like a second job but might find it difficult.”
Gary Carlow of Preferred Temporaries agreed. “I haven’t been registering new people because I’ve got so many people already registered with us,” he said.
Sum said the ability to suddenly land extra work depends more oneducation level than age.
“If you’re young and poorly educated, you’re the least likely to have a second job, because most people can’t even get a first job,” he said. “The more schooling you’ve got, the more chances you’ve got.”
With gas over $4 a gallon, many applicants will limit opportunities by refusing long commutes. “A lot of people are driving 40, 50 miles a day, which is too much,” Sum said.
Jon Sawyer of Adecco Employment Services said applicants look for second jobs in either customer service or retail because multiple and weekend shifts are offered.
“People are looking to supplement income based on the costs of gas and food,” he said. And if economic trends continue, many baby boomers will soon be competing with recent college grads for labor.
“That’s one of the biggest tragedies of this recession or this global job market,” Kochan said.
By Ira Kantor and Katy JordanSunday, July 20, 2008
Finding a second job is fast becoming a first priority for stressed-out workers across Massachusetts.
Statistics show the number of Bay Staters holding or seeking extra employment has risen by about 16 percent in just five years, as breadwinners cope with stagnant wages and stagger under the backbreaking costs of everyday life.
Now, many moonlighters are skilled professionals like Dr. Daniel Muse of Brockton - people who long imagined that a single, hard-earned career would carry them through to retirement.
“I work regular hours here and additional shifts here and at other hospitals,” said Muse, 52, an attending emergency room doctor at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital and father of five. “I don’t own a second home; we don’t live ostentatiously. We’re living, even at my earnings, paycheck to paycheck. Everyone feels the pain.”
Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that 5.6 percent of state workers were multiple jobholders in 2008, as compared to 4.8 percent in 2003 - a 16.7 percent jump. That trend jibes with data showing that 7.794 million Americans held multiple jobs in 2008, up from 7.135 million in 2000.
Academics, job recruiters and the workers themselves say people from across the employment spectrum will be competing ever harder for extra work come the fall, as the pain of tough times settles in.
“It is clear people are making all kinds of adjustments,” said Tom Kochan, professor of management at MIT’s Sloan School. “You see people taking on more overtime whenever possible. You see people taking on part-time jobs, and working off the books on contract jobs and maintenance jobs and home repair, using skills they maybe didn’t draw on for a while.”
Take Desi McElroy. At an age when retirement should be on his mind, the 60-year-old Irish resident of Watertown not only operates the Mugar Memorial Library mailroom at Boston University, but also bartends and works as a rental agent at his Hibernian Hall, clocking in 60 work hours a week.
McElroy depends on the extra money to cover car and house maintenance payments. “Without one of the jobs, I would probably just be able to get by,” he said.
McElroy isn’t the only baby boomer relying on multiple jobs to pay bills. With gas and food costs escalating daily, high-end professionals - among them lawyers, doctors, graphic designers and restaurateurs - are unable to support families with a solo occupation.
“There’s no job growth out there,” said Andy Sum, an economics professor and director for the Center of Labor Studies at Northeastern University. “Over the next year, you will find more workers who would like a second job but might find it difficult.”
Gary Carlow of Preferred Temporaries agreed. “I haven’t been registering new people because I’ve got so many people already registered with us,” he said.
Sum said the ability to suddenly land extra work depends more oneducation level than age.
“If you’re young and poorly educated, you’re the least likely to have a second job, because most people can’t even get a first job,” he said. “The more schooling you’ve got, the more chances you’ve got.”
With gas over $4 a gallon, many applicants will limit opportunities by refusing long commutes. “A lot of people are driving 40, 50 miles a day, which is too much,” Sum said.
Jon Sawyer of Adecco Employment Services said applicants look for second jobs in either customer service or retail because multiple and weekend shifts are offered.
“People are looking to supplement income based on the costs of gas and food,” he said. And if economic trends continue, many baby boomers will soon be competing with recent college grads for labor.
“That’s one of the biggest tragedies of this recession or this global job market,” Kochan said.
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