Gen Z Takes To 'Income Stacking' As One Pay Check Falls Short

A single paycheck is looking increasingly fragile to today's youngest workers, who are turning to "income stacking," which involves layering side gigs, freelance work and small businesses on top of day jobs, to keep up with rent and rising prices.\

Gen Z Doubts Single Paycheck Security

Fiverr's annual Next Gen of Work survey, released last month, which polled more than 12,000 Gen Z and Gen Alpha respondents in the U.S., U.K., France and Germany, found 46% of Gen Z fear they won't earn enough to live comfortably. In the same study, roughly two-thirds said multiple income streams are essential for financial security.

"Gen Z is watching the single-paycheck model wobble, and instead of waiting for it to steady, they're building safety nets of their own design," Michelle Baltrusitis, Fiverr's associate director of community and social impact, told Fast Company. "Income stacking is their response to a volatile economy — a way to diversify risk and create stability on their own terms," she added.

See Also: Jeff Bezos Says ‘I Started Amazon at 30, Not 20’ and Warns Gen Z Not To Drop Out of College Like Gates or Zuckerberg. ‘These People Are the Exception’

Side Hustles Become Core Of Young Careers

Working more than one job is nothing new for students and early-career workers. What is new, researchers say, is the scale. A recent PYMNTS.com survey found side hustles now make up 57% of total income for Gen Z workers, while other 2025 reports show roughly a third of adults in the U.S. and U.K. now earn money outside a traditional 9-to-5 role. Many young workers treat platforms that enable freelance gigs, content creation or e-commerce as core pieces of a make-your-own career path rather to achieve financial milestones.

AI And Broken Social Contract Fuel Shift

The rising cost of living is only part of the story. Gen Z is also rejecting what they see as a broken social contract that once promised security for climbing a corporate ladder. Surveys from Deloitte and others show majorities expect generative artificial intelligence to reshape or eliminate many roles.

A warning from Goodwill's CEO projected a surge in jobless young people as AI spreads. Against that backdrop, 56% of Gen Z in Fiverr's study say traditional jobs could eventually become obsolete and building multiple income streams looks less like a hustle trend and more like basic risk management.

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