Similarly, in the EIWA survey, 65 percent of informal workers reported that earning income was their main reason for engaging in informal and contingent work, and the EIWA provides many examples that corroborate this result.11 A full-time restaurant cook in his 50s, reports that he does yard work and sells items both online and offline to earn extra income and to help family members.
He averages 60 hours per month from side and gig work and reported that these earnings constitute 75 percent of his household’s monthly earnings. Similarly, a respondent in her 20s works part time as a dental hygienist and supplements this employment with about 8 hours per month of additional gig work.