The number of workers holding multiple jobs has spiked significantly in the Dominican Republic, posting a 13.5% year-over-year increase in 2025, according to the latest report from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, El Dia reports.
People need the extra job to make due as wages remain low.
Wages in the Dominican Republic have kept low as companies deal with the high severance payment costs and other benefits awarded to employees.
The second job also surges as companies resort to hiring staff two days a week again to get around the high cost of severance payments. This is common in new medical centers. The labor law excludes severance payments to employees who just work two days a week on a job.
The number of people holding more than one job comes as the country’s total employed population reached 5,149,829 people, a 2.4% expansion compared to the previous year.
The trend toward multiple streams of income is not uniform across the economy. Specific industries saw a marked increase in workers taking on additional roles:
• Health services: Led the trend with a 5.3% increase.
• Construction: Followed with a 2.8% rise.
• Transport: Saw an increase of 2.5% rise.
• Education: Recorded a 1.9% growth in multi-job holders.
Conversely, the report noted a decline in secondary employment within the public administration, financial services, and free trade zones sectors.
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El Dia
8 January 2026