10% of workers have a main job plus one other side gig

Side hustles are twice as prevalent as government data suggests, indicating that more Americans need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet amid historically high inflation.

Nearly 10% of workers reported having a main job plus at least one other side gig, according to the latest work-from-home survey conducted by economists including Stanford University's Nicholas Bloom. By contrast, the January employment report showed 8 million, or about 5% of US workers had multiple jobs, according to the Labor Department.

Read more: 10 states where workers crave side gigs

Despite a strong labor market underscored by historically low unemployment and solid wage gains — which, for some workers, are finally outpacing inflation — the cost of living is still a huge financial strain for many Americans. That's leading them to load up on credit cards and tap into savings to make ends meet, and, in some cases, pick up another paycheck.

The Stanford survey also found that days worked from home dropped to 27.2% in January, from a peak of 61.5% at the height of the pandemic. Currently, 13% of full-time employees are fully remote, 59% are full-time on site, and 28% are in a hybrid arrangement.