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Gen Z Isn't the 'Snowflake Generation' and Probably Works Harder Than You, Research Shows Thirty percent of Americans are working a side hustle due to economic concerns.

By Amanda Breen

entrepreneur daily
Thana Prasongsin | Getty Images

It's the era of the side hustle — and everyone's getting in on it.

New research from marketing and data analytics company Kantar revealed that 36% of millennials, 30% of Gen X and 21% of Boomers have at least two jobs, but Gen Z are the busiest side-hustlers — with 40% working an extra gig, Fox Business reported.

Related: Managers on Gen Z: 'Difficult' at Work and 'Lack Discipline'

It's little wonder why: Gen Z are more likely than other generations to report that the pay they receive for their work does not afford them a good quality of life (26% compared to 20%), and 77% of them are in search of a new job (nearly double the rate of other respondents), per a McKinsey & Company report.

The Kantar study also found that 30% of Americans work a side hustle due to economic concerns; 49% do so to combat economic uncertainty; and 34% do so to meet current financial needs.

So, despite reports of Gen Zers participating in buzzy and much-maligned movements like "quiet quitting" and "bare minimum Mondays," it appears the youngest working generation does know what it takes to succeed in today's high-cost-of-living environment.

Related: Gen Z Says Boomer Colleagues Are 'Tech-Shaming' Them

"It's also a reminder of the importance of having first-party quality data to challenge fallacies: Gen Z is not the 'snowflake generation' but an incredibly hardworking resilient group — one of the counterintuitive insights revealed in this report," Caroline Frankum, CEO of Kantar's Profiles division, said.

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Senior Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a senior features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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