who are these 2.4 million French people who hold several jobs?

The rise in daily prices linked to inflation is pushing more and more French people to combine jobs to make ends meet. In France, 2.4 million people carry out several activities at the same time according to the latest INSEE data from the end of 2019. Europe 1 has looked at the typical profile of these French people who are multiplying jobs.

In three out of four cases, it is an employee who exercises another activity as an employee, again according to INSEE. Most of the time, he works in the tertiary sector, that is to say in services and in particular in commerce, a sector where wages are often low, around the Smic according to the CGT Commerce federation and Services.

Very busy days

Workers, especially part-timers, are forced to multiply jobs to get by. “It requires a colossal organization”, points out Stéphane Leroux, federal secretary of the CGT Commerce and Services at the microphone of Europe 1. “The only possibility they have is to work days that start very early in the morning, and which will end at late hours”, explains the trade unionist.

Stéphane Leroux takes the example of a cashier. This one “will start in a supermarket at 9 or 10 in the morning”, and she “will go and do some cleaning”.

Several sectors affected by pluriactivity

This multi-activity also affects transport, security, personal assistance and even accommodation and catering. In any case, employees in the tertiary sector who have a second job often stay in the same sector. And this phenomenon is intensifying in France because of the purchasing power crisis. Inflation averaged 6.2% in October.

In total, 40% of working people have considered taking a second job to make ends meet in the face of inflation, according to a recent study by Qualtrics. And some have done it, like a security guard met by Europe 1 and who works in Paris. “With a salary of 1,600-1,700 euros, the end of the month was very difficult,” he breathes first.

“With my extras, I reach the 2,000 euro mark”

“There were months when I was at 500 euros in overdrafts, and to find myself in the positive, you have to take a lot of time”, says this agent, who for a year has been doing extras in events to join both ends. “With the extras that I do, it allows me to reach the bar of 2,000 euros per month. It helps me to have reasonable ends of the month, and to no longer go into the overdraft as I did before”, continues the security guard.

He adds that receiving additional remuneration also helps him “to please my children”, and to overcome the rise in prices. “With inflation, life has become a little more expensive. Yogurts and branded cheeses have increased a lot. When you are a father, you have a lot of responsibilities”, he underlines, referring to that ” obliges us either to do a second job, or to fall back on small category products”.