I will start by saying that this article is not motoring related. Well, not specifically. It’s about the economy and making ends meet in these tough times. And part of making ends meet is shopping around to get the best value for money, which is where we come in at Start My Car, by offering you the widest range of quality aftermarket parts at affordable prices.

But that is just an aside, to keep Start My Car in mind the next time you have to replace a part, or when the dealership quote is exorbitant and we have matching quality parts for much less. The actual article is how many professionals in South Africa are turning to side hustles to keep afloat in these tough economic times, and why employers should embrace this rather then be upset by it.

What brought about the article is that today is Black Friday and while it is too early to tell, my general perception is that for many retailers it will be a big disappointment. Not that there weren’t good deals out there, but as the article points out, people just don’t have the kind of disposable income to splurge on a new TV or air-fryer like they used to.

In the old days, the 7 o’clock news on Black Friday was about the 2 hour queues trying to get into Game at Mall Of Africa. Pictures of the queues and customers fighting it out for the last 65” flat screen LG would be all over News 24 and EWN and Twitter by now. There’s none of that this year. I drove past a Game branch on the way to work this morning and the parking lot was two thirds empty.

Anyway, after that lengthly pre-amble, here is the article I am talking about, courtesy of News24.

Crappy pay and inflation force professionals to side hustles

Consumers are continuously being squeezed out of their hard-earned cash.

On Wednesday, Stats SA reported that annual consumer price inflation rose from 7.5% in September to 7.6% in October. Later this week, the SA Reserve Bank is expected to announce another rate hike.

Air travel, onions, salad dressing and seasonal fruit showed the largest price changes between September and October, Stats SA said. This and the ever-rising cost of other items, such as diesel, oil and laundry soap over the past year, means the stagnant pay is not cutting it anymore. 

According to research by recruiters Robert Walters, 45% of professionals do not feel that their pay is an accurate representation of the work they do.  

Megan Prosser, senior manager at Robert Walters SA, said that with record consumer inflation rates, "it’s not surprising that professionals are starting to feel that their pay isn’t stretching as far as it used to."

Prosser added that in some respects, employers feel their hands are tied. 

"It is not realistic for companies to try to compete with rates of inflation, especially in what is an unpredictable market," Prosser explained. 

With companies not really playing ball, consumers are forced to look at ways to supplement their pay. 

According to the report based on a survey of 2 000 South African professionals, "18% are resorting to other means of additional income for the first time, including credit cards, pay-day loans, and additional work."

Prosser said:

We have seen a significant rise in professionals taking on side hustles as a way of arming against increased costs and a looming recession; evolving what was once a passion into pay.

Sibongumenzi Sibiya, a video journalist by profession working for a newspaper, said that when he lost his job working for an international broadcaster, he had to look for other ways to get money.  

"I got into driving for an e-hailing service because my professional photography business was also not going to keep the lights on at that time." 

Sibiya added that when things eventually opened up for him and he found another job, he realised that he still needed the e-hailing gig while finding new ways to take the professional photography business to another level – unlike treating it as just a passion. All this in an effort to live comfortably.  

"I work for the e-hailing service during the week. I leave the house around 5.30am and work until 8am. Then I do my main job from then until 4 or 5pm. I then do the e-hailing again from then until 9 or 10pm, depending on how exhausted I am," Sibiya said.  

Sibiya added weekends were for his professional photography, where he did everything, from weddings and birthdays to professional studio shoots.

It is exhausting doing this amount of work.

"With e-hailing, it is not the safest of jobs. You are exposed to a lot of crime. I’ve been mugged three times. They took my money and my phone. Another challenge I have is that sometimes, my main job will clash with the photography business, so I have to sacrifice paying gigs sometimes."

Learning new skills instead of a distraction  

"Historically, side jobs have been considered something of a distraction by employers; however, additional jobs can also be a great way of developing new skills, which could actually benefit the primary employer," Prosser said. 

"The crucial advice here for employers is to listen and play an active role in alleviating some of the external pressures on their employees.  If this can’t be done via a pay increase, then this can be achieved by encouraging resourcefulness in an economically strenuous time."  

Employers should not underestimate what value a side hustle can bring to the day job: "For example, a financial advisor having a huge TikTok presence. Such skills could be utilised in their day job and become of great value to the company," Prosser added.  

"If I was getting what I think I deserved, I would stop and have a healthy work-life balance," Sibiya mentioned.

Prosser's tips on how companies can support employees with the cost-of-living crisis, using non-financial incentives:

1. For office days, introduce flexible start and finish times to help employees avoid the cost of peak travel, and to help them gain back extra time in their day;
2. Flexi-hours, enhanced leave or one additional day’s paid leave per month when targets are hit allow staff to develop their side hustles outside of work hours, relieving some pressure in multiple ways;
3. Create a reward structure, which ties into the cost of living – for example, streaming subscriptions, food vouchers, or flight allowances;
4. Introduce low-cost complimentary breakfasts in the workplace. Don't underestimate what value cereal, pastries and fruit baskets can bring to your employees' days;
5. Double down on progression routes and offer enhanced training programmes. If employees are not happy with pay, show them the clear route to earning more within the company/their primary employment.