Multiple jobholding, by sex and age

Moonlighting is now more common among women than men

• From 1976 to 2003, the number of Canadians working at two or more jobs or businesses almost quadrupled (from 208,000 to 787,000), compared with overall employment growth of 61%. Multiple jobholders accounted for 5% of all workers in 2003, a rate that has varied little since the early 1990s. In comparison, only 2% of the employed were moonlighting in 1976. Nevertheless, although multiple jobholding is a way of life for a rising number of Canadians, most people continue to hold only one job.
• Men have traditionally accounted for the majority of multiple jobholders—they made up 75% of the total in 1976. However, since then the number of women working at two or more jobs increased at a much faster pace than the number of men, and by 1995 as many women as men were moonlighting. This upward trend for women continued into 2003, when 54% of multiple jobholders were female. That year, 6% of employed women were moonlighting, compared with 4% of men.
• Youth were more likely to moonlight in 2003 (7% of those employed) than adult (aged 25 to 54) and older (aged 55 and over) workers, since many young people hold only part-time jobs (46% of employed 15- to 24-year-olds). Most multiple-jobholding youth work part-time in their main job (57%), compared with 44% of adult women, 16% of adult men, and 40% of workers aged 55 or older. Since 1976, the growth in multiple jobholding has been strongest among people working part time in their main job.

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