Three out of four Filipinos take on side jobs to make ends meet: study
A new study has found that three out of four Pinoys take on extra work to make ends meet.
Citing the Shopperscope 2025 report of Worldpanel by Numerator (formerly Worldpanel by Kantar), The Philippine STAR reported that 75% of Filipinos hustle to manage their finances better and break even by the end of the month.
That's higher than the 73% of Filipinos hustling found in the 2024 edition of the study.
“More Filipinos are managing not because things suddenly got better for them,” said Laurice Obana, shopper insights director at Worldpanel by Numerator.
“There’s an active road that they pave and that they really hustle in order for them to manage,” Obana added.
The study also found that 14% of Filipinos think they live a comfortable life, able to afford most things, but with certain restrictions. It's higher than the 8% of those who had the resources last year.
About 11% of Filipinos, meanwhile, felt they're struggling with their financial situation. That's lower than the 19% of those with money problems last year.
The report was conducted through interviews with 2,000 Filipino consumers from February to April. They were divided into three categories: comfortable, managing, and struggling.
Obana noted that the top concerns of respondents included rising prices of groceries and fuel, as well as their future financial security, health, and well-being.
The study found that Filipinos deal with their situation by looking for cheaper products or opting for promos. As they buy the basics like bread, biscuits, coffee mixes, and powdered laundry detergents, they also choose affordable upgrades like liquid laundry detergents and ready-to-drink coffee.
More Filipinos are also buying pet food, according to the study.
Amid the rising prices, Obana said there's a 10-point increase among Filipinos who believe that their financial situation will improve in the next 12 months.
