Rising Living and Education Costs Drive Students to Consider Temporary Work
Students nationwide are feeling financial pressure according to new research from Indeed Flex, the online marketplace for flexible and temporary workers. Rising living expenses and education costs are the top reasons why 80% of students are considering temporary work. [1]
- Flexibility drives 74% of students to choose temporary work while studying due to open shifts providing the ability to work where, when, and how often they want
- 85% of students want to take on two or more shifts
- Two-thirds of US students report juggling rent payments and studies
- 26% prefer temp work to experience new roles across different industries
Almost 19 million students were enrolled in post-secondary and graduate school in 2023/24, according to Education Data Org. [2]
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Survey data reflects students prefer retail jobs, resulting in retailers potentially experiencing a surge in applicants.
- 41.5% of students consider retail
- 24.4% of students consider healthcare
- 12.2% of students consider hospitality
- 11.8% of students consider call center agents
- 6.1% of students consider facility maintenance
- 4.5% of students consider industrial
Students may experience increased financial stress not knowing if they are approved for federal, state, or school financial aid and how much they can expect due to an overhaul in the Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application. The 2024–2025 submission form deadline is delayed until December, previously submission was due in October. [3]
Students looking for a quick way to make extra money, Indeed Flex offers Same Day Pay, a workforce payments platform powered by Branch. Receiving pay in advance means they can receive up to 50% of their earnings each time they complete a shift.
Indeed Flex provides students instant access via a mobile app to find and book shifts. Its flexibility allows them to choose from an extensive range of consistent jobs with committed employers. The option to receive an advance on earnings will help reduce stress around money.
Novo Constare, CEO and Co-founder of Indeed Flex, said: “For students, the advantage of flexible work is the ability to choose shifts that fit days/hours that work best around their lifestyle, classes, or childcare.
“Being able to access half your earnings in advance makes it easier for students to keep ahead of bills and control finances.
“Inflation is slowing, but some key household essentials are still at elevated prices, temping is a flexible way for students to pick up extra money to offset expenses.
“For employers, having access to a pool of students gives instant flexibility to scale workers to match customer demand.”
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