Side hustles spread among young workers

A growing number of South Koreans in their 20s and 30s are taking up insurance sales work. The trend extends beyond job seekers to include office workers looking for extra income. Some work as full-time agents, but many are entering the field as side-job salespeople. Insurance companies are also ramping up recruitment of freelance agents under labels such as “N-jobbers” and “N-job crews.”

The appeal is simple: flexibility. Workers can keep their main jobs while selling insurance on the side, choosing when and where they work. Even though the income is unstable and employment conditions remain uncertain, the number of such agents climbed to roughly 17,600 last year, more than triple the figure from a year earlier.

The boom in side-job insurance sales reflects the darker reality of today’s labor market. Whether unemployed or already working, many young people appear driven by the same calculation: earn whatever extra income they can. For those who have yet to gain a foothold in the job market, even temporary opportunities can provide valuable work experience. The trend also highlights growing demand for jobs with flexible schedules and nontraditional work arrangements.

Demand for side jobs and flexible employment is likely to surge further as artificial intelligence increasingly replaces entry-level positions. According to the National Data Portal, employment among workers in their 30s, who generally have more career experience, remained above 80% last month. By contrast, employment among people aged 15 to 29, many of whom lack work experience, has been declining steadily for four years.

The shift may only become more pronounced. In the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2025,” about 40% of employers said they planned to cut jobs that AI could automate. At this pace, the disappearance of entry-level positions may no longer seem unimaginable.

For those struggling even to enter the labor market, companies must be able to hire with lower labor-cost burdens. More diverse work arrangements and flexible schedules could help businesses reduce costs while creating opportunities for younger workers. Instead of relying primarily on long-term internships, companies should also experiment with short-term, project-based internships lasting one to four weeks.

Germany’s “mini-job” and “midi-job” systems offer useful examples of policies designed to draw unemployed people into the workforce. Mini-jobs are low-wage part-time positions in which workers pay little to no social insurance contributions. Midi-jobs offer higher pay while allowing workers to pay reduced insurance premiums based on income levels.

The programs were introduced as part of the Hartz labor reforms pushed by then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder between 2002 and 2005. They are widely credited with helping reduce Germany’s unemployment rate from above 10% in the early 2000s to below 5% by 2015.

Work-study systems widely used in Germany, Switzerland and France also deserve closer attention. Under such arrangements, workers spend part of the week on the job and the rest learning new technologies and skills. The system allows companies to train job seekers in ways that resemble preparing experienced employees.

Similar efforts have been introduced in South Korea, but they need to be expanded and linked more closely to quality jobs.

Short-term project work and flexible employment systems could also help South Korea address its persistently low birthrate. For working parents, control over time can matter as much as income. European welfare states that confronted demographic decline earlier have increasingly pointed to flexible and selective working-hour systems as part of the solution.

Reworking how people work and manage their time must be as bold and far-reaching as the technological upheaval reshaping today’s industries. South Korea can no longer afford to squander valuable human and social capital by clinging to outdated labor practices.