Most everyone has a job these days — and some have several

ATLANTA — In the predawn, long before getting to her job as a Marietta, Ga., teacher, Emily Willard, 28, hits the gym.

A couple times a week — as well as some weekends and school holidays — she’s at Total Row in Buckhead, getting a bit of a workout, sure, but that’s not why she’s there. She’s a trainer, leading a group of early morning rowers in their huffing and puffing so she can pick up some extra coin.

“It is nice to have money on the side,” Willard said.

The national unemployment rate is plumbing historic lows. Most people looking for a job can find one. But for some, one job isn’t enough.

One thing that hasn’t changed amid an unprecedented decade of economic growth: About 5 percent of American workers still have at least one side hustle, according to government statistics, although researchers believe the actual number is higher.

For some it’s a choice, but for others it’s a necessity. During and after the Great Recession, inflation-adjusted wages fell for several years and they’ve been up and down since. Last year wage gains barely outstripped inflation.

Among people with multiple jobs, there’s also been a marked increase in the share of people with no full-time work — just part-time jobs stitched together, said Anne Polivka, a research chief at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

And no matter how low the unemployment rate goes, the juggling of jobs is likely here to stay as “gig economy” work like ride-sharing and dog-walking gain traction.

Young people are more likely than old to have an extra job, with young women more likely than men.

Cahara Murray, 25, is among those working two jobs to make ends meet.

“It’s a hassle,” she said. “It’s a second time of day that I have to commute. I would love to have just one job.”

Murray works about 45 hours a week at a university, then spends up to 20 hours a week at a business-to-business marketing company.

“I do it because I’m a millennial and I’m poor,” she said. “Almost all of my friends have some kind of side hustle.”

Despite the hype about the “gig economy,” there just isn’t proof of a massive shift in how most Americans work, said economist Andrew Garin of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has sifted tax data in search of clues.

“This isn’t to say the number is low. But people have been struggling to make ends meet in one job for a long time,” he said.

Half of U.S. workers did not see any salary increase in the last year, estimated Bankrate, which advises consumers on their finances.

An estimated 5.2 percent of workers had more than one job in 2008, and last year it was 5.1 percent, according to the BLS. Researchers acknowledge the actual share is probably higher because the estimates are based on surveys that may miss many people, especially younger workers more likely to have side hustles.

It’s definitely higher among millennials. Among workers 20 to 24, the share is 5.4 percent — but 6.8 percent for women. Among all women, it’s 5.6 percent and among those who have been widowed or divorced, it’s 6.5 percent.

Younger workers could be juggling more jobs because they haven’t had much time to build savings — or pay off their student debts. The most recent data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank puts outstanding student loan debt at $1.48 trillion.

While the growing economy has created jobs, many don’t pay well, said Lawrence Mishel, distinguished fellow at the Economic Policy Institute.

The success of Lyft and Uber is an indicator, he said, because the companies are constantly losing drivers and signing up more.

“It is evidence that the regular job isn’t so good,” said Mishel.