5 Professions Most Likely To Have a Side Hustle, According To LinkedIn

Jordan Rosenfeld

Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 12:03 PM 4 min read

If you’re thinking about picking up a side hustle, you’re far from alone. Approximately 31% of U.S. employees have a way of earning income on the side in addition to their primary jobs, according to a recent LinkedIn Workforce Confidence survey.

Though side gigs like driving for rideshare apps or offering IT consulting may come to mind first, you may be surprised to learn which industries are actually the most likely to have side hustles and which ones aren’t.

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According to LinkedIn’s data, the professions where workers are most likely to have side hustles often involve creative, flexible or entrepreneurial skill sets. Meanwhile, industries with lower side hustle engagement include quality assurance professionals, product managers and engineers.

Here are five professional fields where side hustles are most common, and why they lend themselves so well to making extra income.

“Business development” may sound like a generic job title, but in practice, it spans a broad range of skills focused on helping organizations grow and increase revenue. It can involve:

• Market research

• New product development

• Partnership building

• Sales and marketing strategy

• Mergers and acquisitions

Professionals in this space are often naturally entrepreneurial and network-driven — making them prime candidates to spin off specialized side gigs in areas like consulting, client acquisition strategy or small business coaching. Some may even launch startups of their own on the side.

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Arts and design professionals are some of the most side-hustle-friendly workers, largely because of the freelance nature of their talents. Whether it’s selling handmade goods, offering digital illustrations or contracting for design work, these skills translate easily into project-based income streams.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), average full-time salaries in this sector include:

• Art directors (those who lay out the visuals in magazines, newspapers, product packaging, movies and TV): $110,040

• Craft and fine artists: $56,260

• Fashion designers: $80,690

• Floral designers: $36,120

• Graphic designers: $61,300

• Interior designers: $63,490

Media and communications professionals possess in-demand skills in writing, editing, storytelling and content production — all of which are highly transferable to freelance or contract work.