Remote.co Survey Finds 62% of U.S. Workers Feel Financially Insecure in Their Current Job

Financial Flexibility Report Names Top Industries for Part-Time Jobs, As 2 in 5 Workers Quit or Consider Quitting to Pursue Side Hustle Full-Time

Rising living costs, economic uncertainty, and ongoing layoffs are pushing many professionals to rethink how they achieve financial stability. 

Remote.co’s 2026 Financial Flexibility Report examines how workers are responding to these pressures and the growing role side hustles play in modern career planning. Based on a survey of more than 4,000 U.S. professionals, the report found that the majority of workers don’t feel financially secure in their current job, helping explain why many professionals now see additional income streams as essential rather than optional.

Key Findings: Side Hustle Statistics in 2026

Financial Insecurity Is Driving Workers Toward Side Hustles

According to Remote.co’s 2026 Financial Flexibility Report, nearly two-thirds (62%) of workers say they don’t feel financially secure in their current role—only 38% report feeling financially stable.

So, how many people have side hustles? Remote.co’s survey shows the number continues to grow as professionals across generations actively build or pursue supplemental income streams. In fact, 2 in 5 professionals (40%) said they’ve quit or seriously considered quitting their job to pursue a side hustle full-time.

This steady trend over 2025 signals that the side gig economy is no longer viewed as supplemental, but as a strategic career choice by many workers.

Side Gigs by Generation: Millennials & Gen X Lead Side Hustle Work

While interest spans generations, millennials and Gen X are driving the strongest momentum toward side jobs, as illustrated below:

• 30% of millennials currently have a side hustle, the highest of any generation.
• 26% of Gen X workers currently have one.
• Only 19% of boomers report currently having a side hustle.

Notably, boomers are also the least likely of the generations to have ever participated in side work, with 45% saying they’ve never had a side hustle, compared to 27% of millennials and 33% of Gen X who said the same.

Millennials and Gen X are also significantly more likely to consider leaving full-time employment for a side job:

• 34% of millennials have seriously considered quitting to pursue a side hustle full-time.
• 33% of Gen X report the same.
• Only 26% of boomers have seriously considered it.

Most workers, however, still prioritize financial security, requiring their side hustle to nearly match their current salary before they leave their jobs. In Remote.co’s report, the majority of workers wouldn’t quit their job unless a side hustle replaced at least half of their income, as shown below.

• 60% said the side job would need to cover 75% or more of their current income.
• 19% need it to replace 51%–75% of their current income.
• 11% would quit if their side gig replaced 25%–50% of their current income.
• Only 10% would quit if their side job covered less than 25% of their current income.

Similarly, among generations, the majority of millennials (62%), Gen X (64%), and boomers (53%) said their side hustle would need to replace at least 75% of their income before they’d resign.