“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.”

-- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Earlier this month (August 2022), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”) released two surveys – the Establishment Survey and the Household Survey. As its name suggests, BLS interviews business establishments for the Establishment Survey and households for the Household Survey.  

The Establishment Survey suggested that the nation had created more than 500,000 jobs in July and nearly 1.7 million new positions in just five months.

But perplexingly, the BLS Household Survey on job creation suggested there has been a net loss of more than 100,000 positions in the five-month period.

How do we explain the apparently conflicting survey data arising from the same government agency? One explanation is that the data is riddled with errors. Be that as it may, the most probable other explanation widely offered is that people are taking second jobs – moonlighting so to speak – to make ends meet in an inflationary era. Thus, the paradox of more job creation despite falling employment position numbers. People work multiple jobs, and the official BLS survey counts each of those positions as unique.

Of course, it is widely known that more than a million workers have not returned to the workforce since the pandemic. It is thought that the boomers have flown the coop, hit the road in their RVs, and probably aren’t coming back into the job market. At least a slice of them have elevated net worth from 401K plans filled with stock market gains and peak home pricing. But that is by no means the majority, since everyone knows Americans have under-saved for their retirements. But early retirement and exit of boomers from the job market has created a shortage of workers and pumped up the demand for younger workers to fill the void. If you believe the BLS data, apparently some younger workers are taking the jump and signing up for new jobs and second jobs.

So how can we square the data inconsistencies and retain our ability to function. I can proffer one explanation. Back in the early days of the pandemic, the Washington Post (I think) ran a piece on people taking two simultaneous full-time jobs and juggling their demands while working remotely. In the work from home (“WFH”) world, employees are signing up for two full-time WFH gigs and just doing the minimum necessary to juggle the work demands of two employers. Two jobs, two paychecks, and a faster track to an early retirement. These workers are being unfaithful to their employers, taking a second position, violating the duty to report the outside employment, and disregarding conflict of interest policies and their fiduciary duties to their employer. But it is worth it to them because they can pocket dual salaries. Hence the Establishment Survey shows employers reporting new jobs while the Household Survey shows workers hiding their second job and not reporting it. It is a new version of adultery, just applied to the work relationship.

I am not saying that this “two-hatter” non-monogamous behavior is the whole explanation. But it is one plausible way to partially explain the paradoxical BLS data we are seeing. And I think it even more probable this is going on with federal contracting then other jobs given the prevalence of remote white-collar work.

I read the best way to do this remotely is to find employers separated by about a three hour time zone. In other words, find an employer on the East Coast and match that job to a West Coast job. That way, they are less likely to conflict. And learn how to juggle conflicting Microsoft Teams or Zoom calls – like maintaining two desktop workplaces, turning off your camera, and muting your microphone as necessary.

Enjoy it while you can – so little time, so many employment opportunities.