Overemployment: a problem or the new normal in Russian-speaking IT? Conclusions

• who does it and why
• how it affects the main job
• whether employer policies make a difference
• what works for business in the current situation

Kira Kuzmenko

CEO NEWHR

Overemployment became a hot topic in 2022, when the IT bubble burst, companies began mass layoffs, and for the first time in many years IT specialists found themselves in a situation where there were fewer vacancies than candidates. At the same time, IT salaries had grown significantly during the "fat years" of 2019−2021, and employees' expectations, of course, stayed at the same level.

That was when it became clear that some people were ready to deceive employers outright, combining 2 or more full-time jobs or topping up their income to the level they needed with side jobs outside working hours. Striking cases of this kind appeared on the market, and everyone started talking about the problem at once.

In 2024-2025 the topic did not go away, and we at NEWHR decided to find out whether the devil is really as scary as our collective imagination paints him. We surveyed 3,169 IT specialists (both employees and employers) to learn firsthand what is happening on the market now.

• Read topics 1−4
• Read topics 5−8
• Conclusions

About the research

How many? Who? From where?

The research was conducted as an online survey. Respondents were recruited through NEWHR's online media, partner channels and our own respondent database.

3,169 people

• 3,031 employees
• 138 employers

21 specializations

• Backend | Desktop | Embedded development
• Analytics
• Testing
• HR | Recruiting | HR-DevRel
• Frontend | Fullstack development
• Product management
• Project management
• And others*

6 grades

• Junior (Junior&Intern)
• Middle
• Senior
• Team lead
• Head of Departments
• Top Manager

4 types of companies

• Russian
• Partly Russian (operate abroad; founded by people from Russian-speaking markets)
• Foreign local (operate in the market of a single country)
• Foreign international (operate in many countries)
• * See all specialties of the survey participants
• Technical management | Software architecture
• Infrastructure | DevOps | SRE | NetEng | InfoSec
• Mobile development
• Design | 3D | animation | web | UX/UI/CX
• Digital | Offline marketing
• Data Science | ML | AI
• Data Engineering
• Top management | Founder
• Content | SMM | Technical content
• GameDev
• Sales | BizDev
• IT-Support
• PR
• Producing

Research terminology

Explaining the words

The term overemployment has become widespread in Russian-speaking IT. It is used for the phenomenon that in everyday speech is called a "side job," and in scientific terminology "secondary employment."

In the international field, however, overemployment is understood more narrowly: as a combination of two or more full-time jobs without the employers' knowledge. In this context the term takes on a potentially negative connotation.

The phenomenon itself is firmly associated with processes such as the hybridization and precarization of employment, and is seen as a marker of the systemic transformation of the labor market over the last 10 years.

In English-language literature we come across two terms:

Multiple Job Holding (neutral): "the act of working in multiple jobs at the same time, including employment by employers and self-employment, in which all tasks or sets of tasks are performed in exchange for compensation or in expectation of it" (International Labour Organization, UN).

• the economic consequences of employee burnout;
• a decline in work quality and longer project timelines;
• losing an employee due to dismissal.
• Secondary employment (scientific term);
• Side job (colloquial);
• Overemployment (borrowing).
• Our approach to the research — Side job: any form of secondary employment (both legal and non-legal)
• Classic or "ordinary" side job: a legally permissible side job not exceeding 20 hours a week (including part-time, freelance, consulting, pet projects)
• Overemployment: a special form of side job in which an employee secretly works full-time for two or more employers.

Quotes from our respondents show the complexity and diversity of the phenomenon

"As an employer, I usually hire people for part-time side jobs paid by the hour. It pays off for simple projects with a fluctuating workload when there is no staff employee."

"I told them at work: either give me more money, or I'll look for a side job. They told me: go ahead [take a side job]."

"In Germany side jobs are prohibited by law. You have to get permission on request, and the question arises whether the company will approve it or not. IT specialists will most likely not get permission for a similar side job."

"I know that holding a second job is legal [from the point of view of the law]. The employer cannot influence this. Dismissal in this case is illegal."

"As an employer, I usually hire people for part-time side jobs paid by the hour. It pays off for simple projects with a fluctuating workload when there is no staff employee."

"I told them at work: either give me more money, or I'll look for a side job. They told me: go ahead [take a side job]."

We significantly shortened the research text for publication on the website. If you want to study our logic, see the charts and read additional conclusions, write to data@new.hr with the note "Where's the proof?"

Key conclusions

The overemployment problem in Russian-speaking IT is exaggerated, although it should not be ignored completely.

Overemployment is not a mass phenomenon and not a model to follow, but rather an indicator of systemic problems. It is not a new industry standard, but the reaction of a small share of specialists to labor market instability, inadequate salaries and the lack of career prospects.

The insatiable overemployed workers from horror stories, who slog away full-time for two or three companies, are practically absent among our respondents. The hype around overemployment is linked to the crisis on the global IT market, high-profile (but by no means widespread) examples in the information field, and speculation on the fears of both employers and employees by the authors of products devoted to this fashionable topic.

Our data show that the main reason for side jobs in general and overemployment in particular is not the "greed" of IT specialists and not their principled disloyalty to the employer. It makes sense to talk about a subtler motivation: a mismatch between employees' needs and their opportunities.

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND

Businesses should not suspect every employee of infidelity. It is far more effective to take a systematic approach to people management. Some side jobs can well be prevented by a sound HR policy.

WHAT EMPLOYEES NEED TO UNDERSTAND

Our main recommendation for employees is to soberly assess their own capabilities and not to romanticize the complex and risky strategy of overemployment.

The overemployment phenomenon and how widespread it is

Over the last 2 years the number of IT specialists with side jobs grew by only 2%, and only 3.7% more of them started practicing overemployment. The phenomenon certainly exists and it is growing, but it is not yet becoming mainstream (more in the subsection "Do employees have side jobs?").

Our data show that in reality only 1 in 33 employees illegally works full-time for several companies. This is far smaller than the scale of the "epidemic" the media paint (more: "Classic overemployment").

Enterprising Truffaldinos "raking in money hand over fist" at several jobs (or even quite real Soham Parekhs, see Medium) are in reality extremely rare. Most IT specialists with side jobs take on only one job on the side. Even among the overemployed, the standard is one main job + one additional one (more: "Organizing a side job").

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

It is necessary to distinguish overemployment from an "ordinary" side job
80% of employees with side jobs practice the traditional side job, without hiding from their main employer and without sacrificing its time.

In 76% of cases overemployment is a forced measure for the employee
It is a reaction to market instability, declining financial well-being, an attempt to protect themselves in case of dismissal. Your employees want a safety net, not to deceive you "for the love of art."

WHAT EMPLOYEES NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

Overemployment is not a way of life, but a forced (and temporary) measure
The idea that "everyone does it" is wrong. If you are considering overemployment as a career strategy, remember that even for its adherents, working full-time for two employers is more of a short-term measure for solving financial problems than a sustainable model of professional development.

"Ordinary" side-jobbers and adherents of overemployment

• Those who have many side jobs and do so openly, but resort to overemployment less often than others. These are, for example, producers, content managers, marketers, designers. Their side jobs are a feature of the industry, not a threat.
• Those who rarely have side jobs openly, but are involved in overemployment more often than others. This narrowly specialized practice is more typical of mid-level technical specialties: middle/senior developers, data engineers or testers. In this group of specialties far fewer people have side jobs overall (about a third), but those who do more often practice overemployment specifically. This is where the main risks for the employer lie.
• Overall, heads of departments have side jobs the most (not overemployment).
• Seniors and middles practice overemployment specifically more often than others.
• Juniors and team leads are the most devoted to their main employer.

Reasons for side jobs

• 78% of "ordinary" side-jobbers and 94% of the overemployed are financially motivated. But only 23% love money for money's sake, while the rest want to improve their quality of life, i.e. their motivation can quite well be satisfied.
• The most "money-hungry" are Mobile developers (90% chose this answer) and Frontend | Fullstack developers (89%), and among grades, middles (86%) and seniors (82%).
• Seeing side jobs, the employer thinks "greed and disloyalty," while the employee often thinks "development." 55% of old-fashioned side-jobbers and 36% of the overemployed are motivated by professional development, especially managers (70−76% of top managers at various levels).
• Those most strongly motivated by development are producers (70%), DevOps | InfoSec (69%), Data Science | ML | AI (67%), and among grades, top managers (76%).

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

How can you prevent your employees' classic side jobs?
In the case of an "ordinary" side job, it makes sense not only to consider a salary increase, but also to give the employee skill development in the areas that interest them. Offer interesting professional tasks. If more than ¼ of your employees easily find time for side jobs, it is worth reviewing the workload.

How can you prevent your employees' overemployment?
Here everything is individual and depends on the specialist's value and the consequences of their actions for the main job. First of all, such employees need income growth, but they need a lot of income (from +50% to +100% of the main salary) to solve particular problems. Sometimes it is easier to wait it out: overemployment is more often a temporary strategy.

WHAT EMPLOYEES NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

If you need skills and prospects rather than money at any cost, overemployment is an inefficient choice
With an old-fashioned side job, specialists get on average +10% to their main income, but it is a good way to master new skills and technologies. Overemployment brings in more substantial sums, but takes too much energy away from professional growth.

Try talking to your current employer
In our observation, many employees prefer side jobs or moving to another company over an open conversation with management about a raise. If you handle your main tasks quickly and want +20% to your income and new professional challenges, discuss it with management and give your main employer a chance. Although here, of course, everything is individual.

The quotes show the variety of reasons for side jobs (please remember that these are the opinions of individual respondents).

• Infrastructure | DevOps | SRE | NetEng | InfoSec, Head of Department
• "Development and experience working in similar positions in other businesses."
• GameDev, senior

"On a notional salary of $4,000 you can't build a house or buy a car. And what other ways are there to earn $8,000 a month? Two jobs. And you don't need to slog for 10 years to become C-level. That's why I'm looking for a 3rd job. You can never have too much money. Time and energy allow it."

• Development, middle
• "My main job seriously delays salary payments."
• Development, middle
• "I need a bit of cash in Russian accounts."
• Development, senior

"I have a side job at a company where I used to work. I think it's easier for the company to pay me than to train newcomers. And for me it's not hard and pays well: +15% to my main salary for +10% of working time."

Marketing, top manager

"My main job isn't big enough in terms of money, tasks and authority. And the second job offers good conditions."

• Top manager
• "I want to eat!"
• Testing, senior

"Professional resentment. I worked and slogged for 2 years, thought I'd be promoted to lead. In the end they didn't promote me and didn't raise my salary. After that I dropped my extra duties and stopped taking initiative. A lot of time freed up at my main job. I found a side job as a lead where I can realize my potential. I can't leave the first place yet."

• Product management, team lead
• "Creative fulfillment. My main job has little to do with creativity."
• Product management, Head of Department

"American VCs and consultancies, unexpectedly even for me, reached out to me asking for consultations. It turned out to be so exciting that it would be a sin to say no)) […] Plus Russian startups come to me, there it's more about fun and wanting to help :)."

Backend | Desktop | Embedded development, middle

"Building skills that are needed at the side job but aren't useful at my main job. I take side jobs with the aim that the technology stacks will differ from my beloved main job."

PR, middle

"At my main job my professional skills aren't in demand (the employer doesn't use them to the full). An open dialogue with the employer also made it clear that they don't need the extended skills."

GameDev, senior

"Communication and making connections, since when working remotely there isn't enough professional socialization, and that's solved by quantity. Going to forums and other events is difficult now."

Design, team lead

"For me a side job is a chance to see how different kitchens work from the inside, learn new things, meet interesting and talented people, most often founders, and practice the language."

Project management, team lead

"The second job is a rest from the first) At the first it's stuffy, with big clients from the corporate sector and everything that comes with that, and at the second the communication is non-toxic."

• Design | 3D | animation | web | UX/UI/CX, senior
• "Broadening experience and interesting tasks."
• Infrastructure | DevOps | SRE | NetEng | InfoSec, Head of Department
• "Development and experience working in similar positions in other businesses."
• GameDev, senior

"On a notional salary of $4,000 you can't build a house or buy a car. And what other ways are there to earn $8,000 a month? Two jobs. And you don't need to slog for 10 years to become C-level. That's why I'm looking for a 3rd job. You can never have too much money. Time and energy allow it."

The impact of an "ordinary" side job and overemployment on the main job

Employers assess the consequences of side jobs subjectively and even with bias (more: "What do employers think?")
54% of employers consider side jobs harmful to the main job (if employees "cheat" on them). But if they themselves hire other companies' employees for side jobs, their confidence that this is harmful to the other employer drops by half.

Employers tend to overlook the positive effects of side jobs (more: "The positive impact of side jobs")
For example, the fact that a side job allows employees to stay at their old place at all, rather than look for a more lucrative job. It can even bring benefits thanks to employees' new experience and skills.

Employees tend to underestimate the negative consequences of side jobs (more: "Key takeaways of section 6")
37% of those with side jobs admit that they feel tired, although only 15% consider their side job hard. This suggests that IT specialists underestimate the long-term negative effects of side jobs.

Overemployment is significantly harder than an "ordinary" side job (more: "The negative impact of side jobs")
68% of the overemployed spend 16 to 40 hours a week on their second job. Half of overemployment adherents admit that they lack the energy for their main job, and a quarter fail to complete their main tasks.

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

Side jobs are not betrayal, but an indicator of employees' unmet needs (financial or professional)
Our research clearly shows that assessments of the effects of side jobs are highly subjective (on the part of both employers and employees). Respondents' opinions are formed largely by the need to justify their actions in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Only a professional analysis of how human resources are used, not emotional assessments of the situation by both sides, can give a comprehensive picture for each specific business.

WHAT EMPLOYEES NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

If you are considering overemployment as a form of employment, be prepared for tangible risks to your health and career
The overemployed are 1.3 times more likely than "ordinary" side-jobbers to get so tired that they lack the energy for their main job, 2 times more likely to fail to complete tasks at their main job, and 2.5 times more likely not to set ambitious goals for themselves, working on autopilot. At the same time, 73% of the overemployed use their main employer's time for the side job (which means they risk losing their main job).

Employer policies and their effectiveness

The mistake of a significant share of employers is the lack of clear rules of the game (more: "Policy on side jobs")
54% of all employees with side jobs do not know their company's policy on secondary employment, which makes them hide their side jobs "just in case." The most effective approach in this area is transparent communication and a focus on results, not total control.

Strict bans on side jobs work. Partly (more: "Does a strict ban policy work?")
In companies that follow such a policy, there are 2.5 times fewer employees with side jobs.
71% of employees rated the prohibitive approach as effective on the whole. At the same time, 13.6% of our respondents with side jobs have them precisely under a strict ban.

Employees stop side jobs because of fatigue and reaching financial goals. Employer policy also plays a role, but not the main one (more: "What has to happen for IT specialists to stop having side jobs?")
76% of IT specialists with side jobs plan to keep doing so regardless of their company's policy. The top reasons for stopping a side job: fatigue, financial circumstances (reaching the desired income, solving financial problems), and only in third place, sanctions at the main job.

WHAT EMPLOYERS NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

Even a clear and understandable company policy on side jobs must be regularly communicated to the team
Most employees have a vague idea of corporate rules. Clear criteria for a conflict of interest work more effectively than general bans.

There is no universal solution to the problem of side jobs
Recall that side jobs are a symptom of employees' unmet needs (financial or professional). There is no universal remedy for this phenomenon. A competitive salary, interesting tasks, opportunities for professional growth, sanctions: all of these are effective tools in the employer's hands. However, figuring out what will work for each specific employee is the task of good HR management.

WHAT EMPLOYEES NEED TO UNDERSTAND:

Any side job has limits in the long term
Three quarters of all those with side jobs plan to continue this activity in the next 1−2 years. However, regardless of employer policy, secondary employment has natural limits: fatigue and even burnout.

A side job is normal. Overemployment requires readiness for increased risks and stress
Most employers are tolerant of their employees' side jobs as long as they do not interfere with the main job and do not contradict corporate policy. But overemployment requires significant effort from the employee not only for the additional work, but also for hiding their activity more carefully. The career risks are real, especially for relationships with management. Traditional career growth and professional development remain more reliable strategies for long-term success.

Employers' answers to the question: "Why do you follow your chosen policy on employees' side jobs?" (please remember that these are the opinions of individual respondents).

Employees' side jobs are encouraged
Partly Russian company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"One company can rarely offer a wide range of professional activity for top specialists, and I hire only such people."

Strict ban policy
Partly Russian company | Large (500−1000 employees)

"We are convinced that an employee cannot be focused on two jobs at the same time, and for our model this is critical, we literally lose money on it."

Strict ban policy
Russian company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"So that they work well at their main job."

Strict ban policy
Foreign international company | Medium (200−500 employees)

• Reduced efficiency and productivity;
• Possible NDA violation;
• Increased risk of losing the employee, since their loyalty to the company is already diluted."

No ban on side jobs in free time
Foreign international company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"A ban has to be monitored, and monitoring costs more than finding a new person to replace someone who isn't coping."

No ban on side jobs in free time
Partly Russian company | Smaller mid-size (50−200 employees)

"I have a negative attitude toward side jobs for competitors. Toward ordinary [side jobs I am] rather neutral. But it is always a reason for a conversation with the employee and for clarifying why they need this side job. After all, we have so many tasks, and we are usually ready to pay for them."

No ban on side jobs in free time
Russian company | Very large (more than 5000 employees)

"Because I understand employees. If I ban it outright and tighten the screws, I may find that good employees simply leave for a higher salary."

No ban on side jobs in free time
Foreign international company | Major (1000−5000 employees)

"There is no ban, but the employee is obliged to inform the employer about working somewhere else. The absence of a ban is dictated by the labor law of the jurisdiction in which the company operates."

No ban on side jobs in free time
Russian company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"In 2024, 60% of employees who were dismissed during their probation period due to low performance had a side job. We are ready to work with a person if they either only freelance or only work full-time with us. Experience has shown that those who try to combine two jobs end up poorly engaged, deliver low results, and this is so noticeable that it demotivates the team."

No ban on side jobs in free time
Partly Russian company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"In remote mode it is impossible to ban side jobs; there is no point in fighting it."

Freedom of alternative employment
Russian company | Major (1000−5000 employees)

"I don't micromanage. If an employee delivers the required performance, I don't care whether they work somewhere else."

Freedom of alternative employment
Russian company | Major (1000−5000 employees)

"As an employer we lose out heavily on salary levels, especially in the last 6−12 months, so we put no obstacles in the way of employees' side jobs in order to keep our core workforce."

Freedom of alternative employment
Partly Russian company | Smaller mid-size (50−200 employees)

"There is no emphasis on time: we have a results culture, i.e. we expect the employee to complete tasks, and if they do it in less time, well done :)."

Employees' side jobs are encouraged
Foreign local company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"IT is a very multifaceted field and there are a great many tasks. I myself often want to work on other projects and broaden my horizons, but without leaving my main job."

Employees' side jobs are encouraged
Partly Russian company | Small (up to 50 employees)

"One company can rarely offer a wide range of professional activity for top specialists, and I hire only such people."

Strict ban policy
Partly Russian company | Large (500−1000 employees)

"We are convinced that an employee cannot be focused on two jobs at the same time, and for our model this is critical, we literally lose money on it."

Our partners

We thank everyone who shared information about the research and helped us collect such an impressive sample! 💙

The list of partners is below. If you helped us find respondents but did not find your channel on the list, write to data@new.hr. If you would like us to correct something in the description, write to us as well!

NEWHR

• International recruiting agency
• Hello New Job! — Job search and employment: instructions, tips, useful practices

Recruiting, Cats and the Apocalypse

• The channel of NEWHR founder Kira Kuzmenko
• IT Solutions Architecture — IT Solutions Architecture: conversations about the architecture of enterprise information systems

Evgeny Kornyshev

• Tester, mentor, course author

Nikita Zaltsman / Dev easy notes

• Mobile infrastructure developer

QA Sisters

• Support and development for women in QA
• MobileApps — mobile testing — About mobile testing, Android\IOS, smartphones and news from Europe. Author: Vlad Kazachek
• Tatiana (ex-Drozdova) Romanova — QA engineer with more than 5 years of experience organizing testing of complex products

Pykh

• Valentin Udaltsov's blog about hardcore PHP development
• Gennady Chursov — QA engineer with 10+ years of experience, author of a blog about testing and automation

Oleg Kozyrev

• Golang developer
• Anton Duenin — Tester, 5+ years in the profession, author of the Burning Tester channels.
• DDDevotion — A professional community uniting developers, architects and analysts who practice Domain-Driven Design (DDD) approaches.

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