Side Jobs as the Key to 'Recruitment' and 'Retention': Side Job Matching Service 'lotsful' Conducts [Causal Relationship Survey between Side Jobs and Career Changes Vol.2]
A survey by PERSOL INNOVATION's side job matching service 'lotsful' found that 62.5% of people with side job experience have changed jobs through their side jobs. The survey highlights that side jobs are increasingly serving as a 'trial employment' platform, allowing companies to verify skills and cultural fit before formal hiring. Furthermore, 80% of candidates prioritize side job permission when choosing a new employer, suggesting that prohibiting side jobs leads to significant recruitment losses.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 11:31
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'Work and Smile.' PERSOL INNOVATION CO., LTD. lotsful Company (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Midori Tanaka), which operates the side job talent matching service 'lotsful' (https://lotsful.jp/), conducted a [Causal Relationship Survey between Side Jobs and Career Changes vol.2] targeting 660 office workers in their 20s to 40s with side job experience, and announced the results today.
*Causal Relationship Survey between Side Jobs and Career Changes vol.1: https://lotsful.jp/news/153
### Survey Results
#### Side jobs are becoming a place for 'scouting' and 'trial employment'; over 60% changed jobs via side jobs
When asked about their experience of changing jobs triggered by a side job, 31.7% said they 'joined the company where they did the side job directly,' 22.8% 'changed to a different company due to the side job,' and 8.0% 'experienced both,' totaling 62.5% of respondents who had changed jobs through a side job. In the August 2022 survey, this figure was 53.6%. These results show an increase, indicating that career changes starting from side jobs are on the rise.
Furthermore, for those who answered they 'had no experience changing jobs' or 'changed to another company' due to a side job, 49.4% responded that they 'had received an entry offer (scout) to work as a full-time employee' from their side job client. This means that even among those who did not actually move to the side job company, about half received recruitment offers, showing that side job periods are powerful opportunities for companies to connect with potential candidates. These results suggest that side jobs function as a 'trial employment' space where companies can hire after assessing skills and aptitude. For companies struggling with full-time recruitment, this is becoming an effective means to secure 'immediate assets whose skills have been verified,' and its importance as a new entry point for recruitment is increasing.
#### The No. 1 reason for joining a side job company is 'trusting relationships'; matching through actual work supports decision-making
For those who had experience joining a company where they worked a side job, the top reasons were 'built a trusting relationship with field members (35.7%),' 'wanted to commit more deeply to the business (35.3%),' and 'deeply understood the job content (34.9%).' Elements such as trusting relationships with the team through on-site experience, which are difficult to appeal as corporate charms in traditional recruitment processes centered on documents and interviews, are significantly influencing decision-making.
Regarding the timing of the job change, '3 to less than 6 months after the end of the side job' was the most common at 59.9%, followed by 'less than 3 months' at 26.4%.
Cross-analysis revealed that about 70% of those who changed jobs in 'less than 3 months' joined the side job company directly.
On the other hand, a certain number of people join the side job company six months or more after the end of the side job, suggesting that even if full-time employment is not reached during or immediately after the side job, it can lead to hiring later when the desire to change jobs increases. From this perspective, connections through side jobs are also functioning as a medium-to-long-term talent pool.
#### 'Side job prohibited' is a major opportunity loss in recruitment competition; over 80% prioritize side job permission when changing jobs
When asked to what extent they prioritize 'whether side jobs are permitted' in job postings during career change activities, 51.8% said they 'prioritize to some extent' and 28.4% said they 'prioritize highly (will not apply if side jobs are not allowed),' totaling 80.2%.
Additionally, regarding the decision to join if they find out 'side jobs are prohibited' during the selection process or after receiving an offer, 27.3% 'declined the offer' and 30.2% 'were quite hesitant to decline but joined prioritizing other conditions,' showing that the existence of a side job system affects the decision to join after an offer.
By age and gender, 90.0% of women in their early 20s said they declined or hesitated to join due to the 'side job prohibited' policy, highlighting high interest among younger generations. These results suggest that companies that do not allow side jobs may be losing talent to other companies in the final stages of recruitment, making the development of side job systems a crucial factor directly linked to recruitment competitiveness.
*Causal Relationship Survey between Side Jobs and Career Changes vol.1: https://lotsful.jp/news/153
### Survey Results
#### Side jobs are becoming a place for 'scouting' and 'trial employment'; over 60% changed jobs via side jobs
When asked about their experience of changing jobs triggered by a side job, 31.7% said they 'joined the company where they did the side job directly,' 22.8% 'changed to a different company due to the side job,' and 8.0% 'experienced both,' totaling 62.5% of respondents who had changed jobs through a side job. In the August 2022 survey, this figure was 53.6%. These results show an increase, indicating that career changes starting from side jobs are on the rise.
Furthermore, for those who answered they 'had no experience changing jobs' or 'changed to another company' due to a side job, 49.4% responded that they 'had received an entry offer (scout) to work as a full-time employee' from their side job client. This means that even among those who did not actually move to the side job company, about half received recruitment offers, showing that side job periods are powerful opportunities for companies to connect with potential candidates. These results suggest that side jobs function as a 'trial employment' space where companies can hire after assessing skills and aptitude. For companies struggling with full-time recruitment, this is becoming an effective means to secure 'immediate assets whose skills have been verified,' and its importance as a new entry point for recruitment is increasing.
#### The No. 1 reason for joining a side job company is 'trusting relationships'; matching through actual work supports decision-making
For those who had experience joining a company where they worked a side job, the top reasons were 'built a trusting relationship with field members (35.7%),' 'wanted to commit more deeply to the business (35.3%),' and 'deeply understood the job content (34.9%).' Elements such as trusting relationships with the team through on-site experience, which are difficult to appeal as corporate charms in traditional recruitment processes centered on documents and interviews, are significantly influencing decision-making.
Regarding the timing of the job change, '3 to less than 6 months after the end of the side job' was the most common at 59.9%, followed by 'less than 3 months' at 26.4%.
Cross-analysis revealed that about 70% of those who changed jobs in 'less than 3 months' joined the side job company directly.
On the other hand, a certain number of people join the side job company six months or more after the end of the side job, suggesting that even if full-time employment is not reached during or immediately after the side job, it can lead to hiring later when the desire to change jobs increases. From this perspective, connections through side jobs are also functioning as a medium-to-long-term talent pool.
#### 'Side job prohibited' is a major opportunity loss in recruitment competition; over 80% prioritize side job permission when changing jobs
When asked to what extent they prioritize 'whether side jobs are permitted' in job postings during career change activities, 51.8% said they 'prioritize to some extent' and 28.4% said they 'prioritize highly (will not apply if side jobs are not allowed),' totaling 80.2%.
Additionally, regarding the decision to join if they find out 'side jobs are prohibited' during the selection process or after receiving an offer, 27.3% 'declined the offer' and 30.2% 'were quite hesitant to decline but joined prioritizing other conditions,' showing that the existence of a side job system affects the decision to join after an offer.
By age and gender, 90.0% of women in their early 20s said they declined or hesitated to join due to the 'side job prohibited' policy, highlighting high interest among younger generations. These results suggest that companies that do not allow side jobs may be losing talent to other companies in the final stages of recruitment, making the development of side job systems a crucial factor directly linked to recruitment competitiveness.