What triggers multiple job holding? An experimental investigation.

This paper presents an empirical examination of individuals’ motivations for multiple-job holding or moonlighting. Theoretical models of moonlighting suggest that individuals to hold a second job for either financial reasons (they face hours-constraints in their first job) or non-pecuniary motives (heterogeneous jobs). We assess the relative importance of these reasons using a purposefully collected stated preference data set. We find that individuals respond to financial constraints by having multiple-jobs, but these financial motives are not sufficient to explain moonlighting. We also find that individuals are attracted to the non-pecuniary aspects of the second jobs, such as job satisfaction and entrepreneurial opportunities. Furthermore, we find evidence that second job holding may be a hedging strategy against job insecurity in the primary job. Our empirical results contribute to a better understanding of this labour market behaviour.