A new survey from NatWest Thrive has found that Generation Z are turning away from traditional Saturday jobs such as paper rounds and shop work, instead favouring social media influencing and other online side hustles to earn pocket money. The study reveals that only one in seven (15%) 16- and 17-year-olds currently make money from casual roles like working in a clothes shop, stacking shelves, or delivering papers. This contrasts sharply with more than a third (35%) of adults who said they had some kind of Saturday shift or job before school at the same age.
Teenage side hustle economy worth £640 million
The shift towards digital earning is creating a substantial new teenage economy, with the average youngster having topped up their pocket money by £389 through a side hustle in the last year. Across the 1.6 million teens in the UK, this amounts to approximately £640,000,000 in side-hustle cash, according to the research.
Teenagers have very different ideas about where that money could come from, with creating social media content (44%) topping the list of the most popular earners. Another 42% would like to make money from a small business, while 38% are interested in gaming and streaming, dog walking and pet care. Cooking and baking and photography each appeal to 37%, while 35% would like to make cash by reselling clothes or other items online.
Many teens already experimenting with alternative income
Many have already started experimenting with alternative ways to bring in money. More than half (56%) have sold things they no longer wanted, while more than one in four (27%) have babysat and nearly a quarter (22%) have charged for a skill or hobby. One in five (20%) have helped in a family business and 19% have bought things specifically to resell for profit.
Former Gogglebox star Joe Baggs commented: “When I started out, I had to learn a lot about money as I went, and that’s often the part you don’t see behind the success stories. Money skills matter, whatever route you take, and having that knowledge early can make a real difference.”
AI and scepticism shape teen earning plans
The changing approach to earning appears to extend into their plans for adult life too, with four in five (80%) saying they want at least two different sources of income, while 34% are set on three or more. More than a third (34%) would also choose entrepreneurship over a secure role.
The reasons why teens are no longer interested in Saturday jobs is heavily due to AI, the survey showed, with more than a third (35%) saying they already use it to come up with business ideas, while 15% use tech to create social media content and 9% to build websites. But teenagers are not completely convinced by the success stories they encounter online, and two in five (41%) think content creators make success look quicker than it probably is. More than a third want entrepreneurs to be more open about how long it took to make a profit (37%), mistakes they made (36%) and how much money they needed to get started (35%).
In response to these findings, NatWest is launching Money Talks by NatWest Thrive to help 16- and 17-year-olds navigate the financial decisions involved in building income outside a traditional salary.
