Dog walking is one way in which members of Generation Z are earning extra money on the side.Credit: Getty
Among the youngest people in the workforce — members of Gen Z, which describes those born between 1997 and 2012 — 57% have a side hustle, according to a survey by the Harris Poll reported in September 2025.
For some, earning extra money is a necessity to cope with high living costs and stagnating salaries. A report for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the United Kingdom’s largest funder of PhDs, suggests that more than half of research organizations and training-grant holders think that current PhD stipends do not meet researchers’ living costs. And a survey from Morning Consult showed that university students’ financial optimism has fallen to the lowest level since tracking began in 2018 — mainly owing to concerns about unemployment and AI-induced layoffs. Others are chasing creative or entrepreneurial goals.
Is the current economic climate causing researchers to seek a second income? Nature wants to know whether you have, or had, a side hustle during your PhD studies.