2023-04-29 08:00:08
Posted Apr 29, 2023, 8:00 AM
Every evening, after her day’s work, Andréa da Silva delivers to her neighbors the packages she has collected for them. Sometimes, she also takes her lunch break to receive an Amazon box. “Thanks to that, I manage to make 100 or even 200 euros per month more,” says this 36-year-old Parisian building caretaker. A sum that just allows him to be “a little bit more comfortable”. “That’s a shopping cart for 15 days for me and my children,” she breathes.
Since January, Andréa da Silva has registered on the PickMe application, a service that allows individuals to serve as a “relay point” for online orders, for a small fee. “I signed up to help my neighbors and also to help us make ends meet. With prices that have doubled or even tripled on food and everyday things, it’s quite difficult with two children, ”she testifies.
Andréa da Silva is far from the only one to have sought a second job to cope with rising prices. With inflation at its highest since the 1980s – +5.6% in March – 40% of French people would consider taking a second job, according to a survey by Qualtrics. There are no official data to quantify the phenomenon, but several companies specializing in jobbing – platforms for connecting individuals for one-off services (cleaning, DIY) – or temporary assignments have noted that more and more assets register on their sites.
Since the beginning of the year, there has been an increase in the number of people who declare that they have a main activity and supplement their income with small jobs. In the context of inflation, this phenomenon becomes significant
JEAN-BAPTISTE ACHARD (Co-founder of PickMe)
While only 2% of the staff of Staff Me, an application connecting companies and students for one-off services, were active in 2021, they are now six times more numerous and represent 9% of registrants. “Since the beginning of the year, we have seen an increase in the number of people who declare that they have a main activity and supplement their income with small jobs. This phenomenon was already present but it was very very minor. Today, in the context of inflation, it is taking on a significant scale”, analyzes Jean-Baptiste Achard, the co-founder of the application.
Same observation for Jessie Toulcanon, from the PickMe platform: “we have around 20% more registrants since the start of the crisis”, she observes. This application being part of the collaborative economy, the “keepers” have the possibility of donating their remuneration to an association. But, here again, inflation has changed the situation. “They are withdrawing their kitty a lot more than they did before. In 2022, until September, we had 28% of the prize pools which were donated to associations, today it is between 15 and 18%”, notes the co-founder.
Young people in low-skilled jobs
In these two companies, it is mainly young workers who come to seek additional income. “On average we have 60% women, many young mothers between 25 and 35 years old”, details Jessie Toulcanon. Some have a flexible schedule, thanks to telecommuting or because they work independently, others work staggered hours. “For example, a young woman worked in supermarkets and she had Tuesdays and Wednesdays free. She got into the habit of accepting benefits on those days to supplement her income, ”illustrates Jean-Baptiste Achard, of StaffMe. In general, these are people exercising “unskilled jobs with low salary levels, so the increase in the cost of living has a direct impact”, adds the co-founder of the application.
They are to be distinguished from people who exercise several professions out of desire. “These are not slashers who are more part of the rather qualified professions”, explains Lara Bertola, professor at Rennes School of Business. For example, for Sylvie, 61, a cleaner in a school and housekeeper for individuals via the Shiva application, it is not a matter of choice. Without this supplement, which represents around 200 euros per month, “I couldn’t do it”, she confides. With Shiva, she struggles to earn between 1,400 and 1,500 euros per month. Inflation is hard to bear. “This winter I put the heating on 18 degrees because otherwise it was too expensive, I lived with sweaters, plaids… I ended up going to bed early in the evening so as not to watch television because it consumes electricity. I have to restrict everything to eat my fill, ”she breathes.
In search of flexibility
These employees turn to jobbing applications because the assignments are shorter and more flexible than in a traditional temp agency. They are therefore more compatible with a full-time job. This flexibility is what Cécile Abdeddaïm, self-employed decorator and door-to-door salesperson for H20, a company selling natural cosmetics, was looking for. This second job brings him a comfortable additional income. “When I have a bit less time in my decorating activity, I can do more H20 workshops. This flexibility is great because I really adapt my work according to the times of the year,” she explains.
Legally, it is possible to combine several jobs, but workers must not exceed a maximum of 48 hours per week. These double days impose a precise organization on them. “I work a lot, admits Cécile Abdeddaïm. I have days dedicated to one and days dedicated to the other. Sometimes I work for my activity as a decorator during the day and in the evening I am in the workshop. I also do workshops on Friday evenings and Saturdays,” she explains. For her part, Andréa da Silva, building caretaker and parcel deliverer, starts her day at 6 a.m. and ends regularly at 9 p.m. And they will probably have to wait at least until the summer to breathe, the Prime Minister having reaffirmed her desire to see prices fall “from the month of June”.
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