More Than a Day Job

Pedal power: Part-time pedicab driver Nate Chenenko makes $19 to $23 an hour by giving tourists a lift on Thursdays and weekends to supplement his full-time job as a contract specialist. (Richard A. Lipski - The Washington Post)

Finding a second job might not be easy depending on the industry. Indeed, data released by the Labor Department showed that the unemployment rate rose in November to 6.7 percent from 6.5 percent in October.

But economists and labor experts said seasonal, temporary, weekend and evening jobs such as bartending are still out there. Jobs in health care or assisted-living facilities, for instance, are always available because people don't stop getting sick or growing old during recessions. Cleaning services also offer flexible evening and weekend work.

Second jobs don't have to be traditional either, said Mechel Glass, director of education for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta. "What are some talents or skills you have that you can utilize to bring in additional money?" she said.

Take on sewing projects, tutor students, offer to cook for co-workers for a fee. If you sing, try to get gigs at weddings. If you like animals, walk dogs or do some pet-sitting.

If you love to shop, get a job with your favorite retailer where you would have the added benefit of getting discounts. If you know anything about traveling, electronics, movies or just about anything, you can write a review for http://www.reviewstream.com and possibly get paid for it, the credit counseling agency recommended.

Trumble, the human resources expert, said that during recessions, people also often turn to self-employment or direct selling for companies such as Avon, the cosmetics manufacturer.

Take Peggy Kelley, 60, who supplements her income from her full-time job as a minister at a D.C. Baptist church by selling fragrances and recruiting others to sell products for LMS Fragrances.

Since June, she has been calling and e-mailing people, passing out fliers at restaurants and stores. In one three-week period, she made about $4,000. And she needed it. She is also a landlord, and some of her tenants stopped paying rent because they lost their jobs or had their hours cut. She exhausted her savings paying mortgages on four homes.

"In this market, everything has changed. People have lost their jobs. You get excuses from tenants," she said. "This is the worst economy I have ever experienced, and I am 60 years old."

Ron Cooper Jr.'s reason for starting a business was that the one he has been in for 11 years is in trouble. The Fredericksburg car salesman recently started the Stafford franchise of the national pet-waste-scooping business DoodyCalls.

"Obviously, in the auto business sales have declined over the past few years," the 32-year-old said. "I felt it was a good time to try something new with a small business."

On evenings, he does advertising and bookkeeping. On Mondays, his day off from his full-time job, he scoops clients' yards. Overall, he said, he devotes about 15 hours a week to the business and has four clients. Prices start at about $14 a week for a normal-size yard and one dog.

He's counting on this: People might stop buying Corvettes, but they will always need to have their yards cleaned.