Key takeaways
- Search interest in “second job” is up 26% from last September.
- A more specific search, “need a second job”, rose 36%.
- Last fall, interest peaked in the weeks right after Thanksgiving.
- 4.5 million part-time workers want more hours (BLS).
More Americans are searching for a second job. In September 2026, search interest in “second job” was 26% higher than in September 2025. A more specific search, “need a second job”, rose even more: 36%. Search interest in “second job” has gone up every September for five years.
Biggest in Winter, Still Above Last Year
Interest spiked in early 2026, peaking in February, then cooled over the summer. Part of that early spike came from unrelated searches (the more specific “need a second job” rose much less), so we compare September with September. Interest is now rising again as the holidays get closer.
Search interest in “second job” in September, each year
| Search interest | |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 29 |
| 2023 | 33 |
| 2024 | 36 |
| 2025 | 46 |
| 2026 | 58 |
Average of the September weeks. Scale: 100 = the busiest week for this search in the past five years. Source: Google Trends, US.
What About Remote Second Jobs?
Remote second jobs had their own moment. Search interest in “remote second jobs” more than tripled in the first half of 2026 and peaked in June. Then it cooled down over the summer.
Search interest in “remote second jobs”, average by quarter
| Search interest | |
|---|---|
| Q1 2025 | 21 |
| Q2 2025 | 20 |
| Q3 2025 | 31 |
| Q4 2025 | 39 |
| Q1 2026 | 71 |
| Q2 2026 | 84 |
| Q3 2026 | 41 |
Scale: 100 = the busiest week for this search in the past five years (June 7, 2026). Source: Google Trends, US.
Today, remote second-job searches are up 28% from last September, about the same pace as all second-job searches. But they're still a small slice: about 4% of all “second job” searches.
The remote jobs people look for are mostly data entry, administrative assistant and remote nursing (RN) roles.
It Peaks After Thanksgiving
Last year, interest in “second job” climbed through the fall and peaked in the two weeks right after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving week itself is usually quiet for most searches. Many people likely look for extra income as holiday bills arrive.
“Second job” during the 2025 holiday season, by week
| Search interest | |
|---|---|
| Oct 26 | 53 |
| Nov 2 | 63 |
| Nov 9 | 60 |
| Nov 16 | 65 |
| Nov 23 | 50 |
| Nov 30 | 80 |
| Dec 7 | 79 |
| Dec 14 | 70 |
Nov 23 is Thanksgiving week. Scale: 100 = the busiest week for this search in the past five years. Source: Google Trends, US.
The Bigger Picture
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 4.5 million people working part time in September 2026 who want more hours. That's a large group of workers who may be looking for extra income.
What This Means for Agencies
- Offer evening, weekend and short shifts that fit around a first job.
- Put the schedule in the job title. “Evening Warehouse Associate” gets found by people with a day job.
- Call after work hours. Most second-job seekers can't pick up at noon.
- Keep the application short. They apply on a phone, on a break.
- Mention weekly pay if your client offers it. Extra income is the whole point.
- Remote roles get attention, but most second-job searches aren't about remote work. Local evening and weekend shifts reach more people.
About This Data
- Source: Google Trends, United States, weekly data from October 2021 to October 2026. Pulled on October 6, 2026.
- What the numbers mean: Google Trends shows search interest on a scale of 0 to 100, where 100 is the busiest week. It does not show the number of searches.
- Main comparison: September 2026 vs. September 2025, using the average of the September weeks.
- Cross-check: a more specific search, “need a second job”, rose 36% over the same months.
- Possible noise: in September 2025, some “second job” searches were school homework questions. The real increase may be larger than 26%.
- Remote: “remote second jobs” makes up about 4% of “second job” search interest.
- Workers who want more hours: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation, September 2026.
Sources: Google Trends: “second job”, US, 5 years, BLS Employment Situation, September 2026, Google Trends: “remote second jobs”, US, 5 years.