As many as 49.8% of Poles take on additional work outside their main full-time job, and even more — 58% — want to continue or start doing so. Men are more likely than women to take on extra work, as are representatives of the younger generation, residents of the largest cities, and people living in rural areas. Additional assignments are taken both by the lowest earners and by people with higher incomes, according to the report How Poles Earn Extra Income by Gi Group. What motivates workers to take on side jobs?
A second job? Increasingly common
Interest in additional work has been rising year by year. Already half of Poles admit that they take on assignments outside their main occupation — an increase of 4.6 percentage points compared with 2024 and 8.5 percentage points compared with 2023, according to the report How Poles Earn Extra Income, prepared by Gi Group on the basis of research conducted by SW Research. At the same time, as many as 58% of respondents intend to continue or start such activity, a figure similar to 2024, while in 2023 it was clearly lower. One in five people has no such plans, and one in four remains undecided.
These figures confirm the economic pressure felt by Poles, the growing need to ensure financial stability, and the desire to plan spending more freely.
“Over the past year, nominal wages have increased, unemployment has remained low, and the labour market has stayed relatively stable. Despite this, interest in additional work has not declined — quite the opposite. This shows that Poles are becoming more forward-looking: they want to earn more in order to build a greater sense of financial security and improve their quality of life,” says Anna Wesołowska, Managing Director of Gi Group.
Who is most likely to look for an additional source of income?
According to the Gi Group report How Poles Earn Extra Income, additional work is mainly taken up by men, people under 24, and those with either primary or higher education. It is also more common among people working under specific-task contracts or in temporary employment.
As in previous years, men are more likely than women to take on additional work (55% and 45%, respectively). Although interest in side work increased in both groups, the change was far more pronounced among men — by as much as 14.4 percentage points.
Interest in additional work declines with age. It is primarily representatives of the youngest generation who take on extra jobs — as many as 60.5% in the under-24 age group and more than 56% among those aged 25–34. The biggest increase in interest in side work was recorded among people aged 50+ and those under 24.
People with primary education are the most likely to earn extra income (60.4%). In this group, interest in side work increased the most over the year, by 10 percentage points. People with higher education also take on additional assignments more often than others (53.7%).
Additional sources of income are sought mainly by residents of large and the largest cities, as well as rural areas (50–53%), and less frequently by people living in smaller towns.
Those most likely to earn extra income are people earning the least, up to PLN 2,000 (63.3%), as well as those earning more than PLN 5,000 (58.7%). Among people with incomes ranging from PLN 2,001 to PLN 5,000, the share of those taking on extra work is clearly lower.
Additional work is mainly taken up by people working under specific-task contracts (73%), much more often than in previous years. Second are those employed under temporary work contracts (63.6%), followed by the self-employed (54.5%). Those least likely to declare such activity are full-time employees (47.2%).
“We can clearly see shifts in the structure of those taking on additional work. Over the last three years, the largest increase in interest in side work has been recorded among people over 50. This confirms the growing professional activity of this group, although it still remains lower than in many other EU countries. Also particularly noteworthy is the increase in the share of those earning extra income among the youngest people, up to the age of 24. This is a generation that, on the one hand, faces difficulties in finding stable work and, on the other, increasingly strives for financial independence,” says Anna Wesołowska, Managing Director of Gi Group.
Balancing the household budget, saving, or pursuing interests? Why do Poles take on extra work?
The main motivation for taking on additional work is not the need to cover basic living costs — only 15% of survey respondents cited this reason. Most often, at 28%, additional work serves to finance expenses beyond basic needs or to build savings (25%). Some 13.2% of Poles take on extra work in order to pursue passions and interests, while one in ten side earners allocates additional income to professional development. Slightly more than 6% earn extra income to develop their own business. The motivations declared by respondents have not changed significantly compared with 2024.
The desire to obtain extra funds to cover basic expenses is most often indicated by lower-income individuals, those working temporarily or under specific-task contracts, and people completing assignments for their current employer. These are mainly people aged 50+, with primary or vocational education. This motivation does not depend on gender or place of residence.
Paying for expenses beyond basic needs is a motivation more often cited by women, people with secondary education, and those aged 35–49. This goal is most common among full-time employees who earn extra income by working 30–40 hours.
Women and men are equally likely to take on extra work in order to save money. More often than other age groups, this is done by people under 24, with primary education, working under specific-task or mandate contracts, or running their own business. This purpose is more often declared by people with incomes above PLN 5,000.
Earning extra income to pursue passions and interests is an equally common motivation among women and men. It is mainly indicated by people aged over 50, with secondary or higher education. It does not depend on income level, although it is somewhat more often cited by people earning PLN 4,000–5,000 per month and working under specific-task contracts.
Developing skills is indicated by women and men to a similar extent. These are most often people under 24 and those aged 35–49, with primary, lower-secondary, or basic vocational education. They are mainly residents of the largest cities and people with incomes above PLN 5,000.
Running one’s own business as a reason for earning extra income is most often indicated by people with basic vocational education, those over 50, and young people under 24. These are mainly people employed under temporary work contracts.
“The choice of what additional income is spent on is strongly linked to a person’s specific life situation, income level, personal priorities, and career plans. For many people, side work plays a stabilising role, allowing them to supplement income and strengthen economic security. For others, it is a way to pursue their passions or invest in their own business,” says Anna Wesołowska, Managing Director of Gi Group.
How much and how do we work extra?
Poles most often take on additional work for up to 9 hours and from 10 to 19 hours per week — in both cases, nearly 39%. Compared with earlier survey results, a significant change is visible — the share of people devoting up to 9 hours to extra work has fallen (45.9% in 2024 and 46.7% in 2023), while interest in working extra hours at a higher level has increased: 10 to 19 hours (33.8% in 2024 and 29.9% in 2023). At the same time, the percentage of those devoting more than 20 hours to extra work also rose. In 2025 it reached 15.8%, compared with 10.8% in 2024.
Women are more likely than men to devote up to 9 hours per week to additional work (45.4% vs. 32.9%), and less likely to spend 10 to 19 hours (42.9% vs. 34.3%). It is worth noting that women’s time commitment has increased significantly over the last year. This is especially visible among the youngest workers — in 2024, 27.7% of respondents under 24 worked an extra 10–19 hours, while in 2025 the figure rose to as much as 39.5%. The amount of time devoted to additional work is also linked to education level — the lower the level of education, the more often side work becomes a more important supplement to income and requires a greater time commitment. An interesting trend is also the change in preferences among full-time employees, who are moving away from the shortest assignments in favour of longer time commitments.
Casual work or overtime with the current employer?
Casual work remains the most frequently chosen form of additional work, although its popularity has declined compared with 2024. It is performed by 51% of respondents, 5 percentage points fewer than a year earlier. At the same time, Poles are more likely to take on additional tasks in their main workplace, such as overtime or extra assignments. This form of extra earning is chosen by 32.5% of respondents, compared with 26.3% a year earlier. A slight increase is also visible in the case of regular additional work for another employer — it is performed by 26.7% of respondents earning extra income, compared with 24.8% in 2024.
A similar share of women and men who earn extra income take on casual work — 51.6% and 50.6%, respectively. It is preferred by the youngest age group, with 62.8% of people under 24 choosing it. It is particularly popular among those working under specific-task contracts (100% of them), and least common among the self-employed (47%) and full-time employees (48%). It is most often chosen by people whose monthly income is PLN 2,001–3,000 (67%) and up to PLN 2,000 (64%).
Additional assignments for the current employer are chosen by a similar percentage of women and men earning extra income (33.1% vs. 32%, respectively). These are most often people aged 25–34, with primary education (45.6%). Extra earning opportunities at the current workplace are used primarily by full-time employees and those working under specific-task contracts, earning PLN 3,001–4,000 (42%).
Regular cooperation with another employer is more often chosen by women (29.3%) than men (24.5%), people aged over 50 (30.7%), and those with vocational (33%) or higher education (28.4%). It is preferred by the self-employed (34%) and full-time employees (28%), earning more than PLN 4,000.
The impact of additional work on the main job
The vast majority of Poles who take on additional work do not notice that it negatively affects their primary job (58.6%). A different opinion is expressed by 29.5%. It is worth noting, however, that the percentage of critical assessments increased by 6.3 percentage points compared with last year, which may be explained by the longer time spent on extra work.
Perceptions of the impact of additional work on the main job do not differ significantly by gender. Women and men notice the negative effects of side work to a similar extent (close to 30% in both cases), although women slightly more often report no such consequences.
The younger the workers are, the more often they notice the adverse impact of side work on their primary job. Compared with 2024, the share of such responses increased significantly — in the under-24 group from 26.3% to 35.4%, and among people aged 25–34 from 18.8% to 31.5%.
The negative effects of side work are most often felt by people with basic vocational education (51.7%) and primary education (46.9%). In both groups, the share of people indicating a negative impact of additional work exceeds the share of those who do not notice such an effect. As education level rises, critical assessments appear less frequently — 24.9% among people with secondary education and 29% among those with higher education.
Noticing the impact of additional work on the main job does not differ significantly depending on income level. It is signalled least often by those earning more than PLN 5,000.
The effects of additional work are less often felt by people working under mandate contracts (16.7%) and specific-task contracts (18.6%), although in the latter group the number of undecided respondents is significant (as high as 41.8%).
Everything suggests that the growing popularity of additional work is not a one-off reaction to a specific economic situation, but rather the result of changes in the way work is performed.
“Although many people still prefer traditional full-time employment in one place only, the number of those working simultaneously for several companies is growing, and their ‘full-time job’ consists of several smaller assignments. In such a model, side work ceases to be an extra — it becomes a way of professional functioning, giving people the freedom to adjust work to their needs and time availability. It allows them not only to supplement the household budget or save money for specific goals, but also to diversify income sources, thereby ensuring greater financial security,” emphasizes Antonio Carvelli, Vice President of Gi Group.
