The 20-somethings juggling three jobs to make ends meet

Ashlin McCourt clocks up 60 hours a week working as a civil servant, a waitress and a baker because "life's so expensive", she says.

UK unemployment is at its highest in nearly five years, however increasing numbers of those in work are juggling more than one job.

While working in multiple jobs and side hustles has long been a needs must for many households to manage the cost of living, there are now a record 1.35 million adults working at least two jobs.

It is mostly Gen Z - adults aged up to 29 - driving this "poly-employment" trend - according to Deputy, a global workforce management platform, which analysed more than 20 million shifts done by over 300,000 UK workers.

For 28-year-old Ashlin from Northern Ireland, having more than one job seems normal.

"It's the older generation that I work with that cannot believe that I'll finish in the office and go and work a second job," she told BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme.

When she's not working, Ashlin is sharing her poly-employment journey on social media or planning her wedding, which is in five months' time. Her partner also works two jobs.

"You don't even know you're tired, you don't even know you're stressed anymore, because that's your regular environment," says Ashlin.

Her main job is working as a civil servant and she fits in waitressing and baking before or after work, or on her days off.

"Mortgages aren't cheap, your standard of living isn't cheap," she says. "You know you're not even going out once a month and you're having to really budget for that."

'We hope it's not forever'

Cait Yardy, 27, works in a supermarket, as a private tutor and a social media content creator.

Her now two-year-old daughter was born with a complex health issue meaning returning to full-time work "wasn't a priority", she says.

Before they became parents, Cait had a part-time job in retail and her fiance worked full time. But that wasn't enough.

"In order to pay off debt which we'd accumulated over my maternity leave and to, hopefully, be able to eventually start saving for a house, we realised that just those jobs weren't cutting it anymore," she says.

Her tutoring and social media jobs mean she can work from home with her daughter.

"We are hoping this is something that doesn't have to be forever," she says, adding she hopes to get a full time job when her daughter goes to school.

For now working three jobs is tough on family time. "I think probably the main challenges I have are being quite tired a lot of the time, especially with wanting to be a present mum and a present fiancée.

"We obviously don't get a whole lot of time where all three of us are home together but it's worth it, it's what's best for our future and it's something that just has to happen at the moment," she says.

'Making money is a priority'

Chloe Mayhew, 27, from Glasgow divides her time across a mix of jobs, freelance graphic design, teaching drama and dance and working in a care home.

"They're very, very different from each other, but it's all things that I really love and enjoy.

"But making money is always a priority," she adds.

"It'll be like a 14-hour day for me, and I get home and first thing I do is get into bed and open up my laptop and start editing. So yeah, it's a crazy life."

For Chloe, taking on multiple jobs is a practical step towards a longer‑term goal -securing a full‑time, well‑paid role in the creative industry before she turns 40.

"I think I'm taking the right steps just now to hopefully create that life," she says.

Haylii, 22, from Essex bought her first fixer-upper home last year, after saving for a deposit while working in hospitality from the age of 17.

Now her income is split between two jobs, earning around 70% from social media content and 30% from hospitality, where she works 10-hour shifts, three days a week. "The shift patterns are horrible," she says.

She started creating content and influencing online two years ago. While it now makes up most of her income, she says working from her phone can feel "isolating" and financially "inconsistent".

"Hospitality, it gives me that social interaction," she says. "It's just the stability of knowing that I'm going to get paid at the same like time every month and all my bills will be sorted."

Dr Paul Redmond, an expert on generational change and the future of work, says: "As long as a balance can be achieved, there are benefits to part-time working.

"Part-time jobs are a great way to get work experience, to learn new skills and get an insight into a new industry."

But he warns there's a risk young people could take on "too much work", stretching themselves too thin and ultimately "damaging their wellbeing".