HILL STAFF VIEWS: Side Hustles Not Unknown Among Hill Staffers
(QUICK READ) — Ask a Hill staffer chosen at random if they know what a “side hustle” is and odds are good they will have a pretty good idea that the term refers to work one does outside of a day job for renumeration.
Or, as Google AI explains it, a side hustle is “a flexible, income-generating activity pursued outside of a primary, full-time job to earn extra money, explore passions, or build new skills. Unlike a second job, the individual usually controls their own hours, rates, and projects, with options ranging from freelance work and gig apps to selling handmade goods.”
With Hill staff salaries still being low compared to the private sector for analogous positions, one might expect to encounter much more enthusiasm and interest in side hustles than appears to be the case, judging by a recent CNCT Capitol Pulse survey.
Fully 77 percent of those responding to the survey said they do not currently have a side hustle. But it’s important to note the percentage who simply said “No” was 62. The remaining 15 percent said “I used to, but not anymore.”
That 15 percent, when added together with the 23 percent overall who said they do presently have a side hustle means a little more than a third of all congressional aides responding to the CNCT survey either do now or have had that extra deal going.
The 23 percent who said “Yes” breaks out with half of the junior Democratic policy makers in this corner, while 27 percent of the Democrats overall answered in the affirmative. Among GOPers, the Yes response only accounted for 18 percent.
The CNCT Capitol Pulse crew summarized the results with this cogent observation: “Side hustles? We have a hard enough time with the main hustle!”
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