Labor Department: More People Working More Jobs

WETHERSFIELD (AP) – The number of people in Connecticut holding two or more jobs has gone up with the reasons ranging from just trying to meet expenses or to pay for something special.

Figures shows that there were 109,000 Connecticut residents holding more than one job last year.

The state’s percentage of multiple jobholders rose from 5.9 percent in 1999 to 6.5 percent. That rate pushed the state slightly above the national average for multiple jobholders.

According to the state Department of Labor, people work multiple jobs for various reasons, including meeting household expenses, paying down debt, day care, earning extra money for education or something special.

Colchester resident Don Philips, the town’s tax collector, works at a second job several evenings each week.

“It’s to earn extra income,” Philips said. “I own a boat, which is expensive, and having a second job allows my wife and me to take vacations we otherwise could not afford.”

Philips said he loves his second job at Colchester Wine and Spirits and has learned a lot about wines, which makes him a better salesman.

In New England, Connecticut ranks fourth, while – at 9.2 percent – Vermont had the highest rate of multiple jobholders.

The figures show 5.7 percent of double jobholders are women, while only 5.5 percent are men. Nearly 75 percent of both sexes are between ages 24 and 54.