Making ends meet may require more than one job

— -- Heather Rolley's primary occupation is motherhood, but it doesn't pay the bills.

So most days, after she takes her daughter and two sons to school, the 36-year-old divorcee heads to work. Some days it's at the Polo Ralph Lauren store at an outlet mall, where she makes $8.50 an hour as a part-time sales associate. Other days, she focuses on her home-based Mary Kay beauty products business, making telephone calls, checking orders and meeting clients.

Many days, she does both.

"It helps me make ends meet, but it's barely enough," Rolley said of her dual income, which is supplemented by child support. "It is very difficult. Holding two part-time jobs, plus being a mom, is a juggling act. It's tough, it really is."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5% of the nation's workforce held multiple jobs in November, up slightly from last year.

A recent Fidelity Investments survey found that 17% of parents plan to take another job to help pay for their children's college education, up from 11% in 2007. In a CouponCabin survey in October, one in five respondents said they intend to get a second job so they can afford the holidays.

For some, working two jobs has become the only way to get by. Some who take on extra work do it to pay off debt, add to their savings or provide a fallback in case they lose their primary job. Others take part-time work hoping it turns into a full-time job, despite typically low wages and few, if any, benefits.

Keisha Hall, 27, suspended her elementary education studies at Tennessee State University to earn money to repay student loans and save for future classes. She splits her workdays at the mall between Icing, which sells jewelry, makeup and fashion accessories, and EZ Hang Chairs, which sells hammocks and other hanging chairs.

Each job pays roughly $9 an hour, but neither offers benefits. And the EZ Hang Chairs job will end Christmas Eve.

"Actually, I'm already now looking for another" second job, Hall said. "I don't think I've had any (health) insurance for the last six years. Thank goodness I'm a healthy person; nothing more than allergies."

Trend may intensify

Economists and labor experts say the trend of dual job-holders could intensify in the Great Recession's aftermath.

For starters, it might be easier to more quickly land a part-time job than a full-time one. The number of new part-time jobs has grown by 2.3 million since 2007 as the number of full-time jobs dropped by 9.8 million.

Employers remain uncertain about the economy's direction and strength. When they're unsure, they're reluctant to add jobs, especially full-time jobs with costly benefits such as health insurance, says Robert Trumble, director of the Virginia Labor Studies Center at Virginia Commonwealth University.

When employers finally are ready to hire, they typically test the waters by offering temporary and part-time positions."There's not much in the way of full-time jobs, so that leaves part-time jobs," Trumble said.

'About the only way to survive'

That's why Melissa Cook, who already works full time as a manager at Claire's , took a part-time stocking position at the nearby Bath & Body Works. Her husband also took a second, part-time job at the shopping center in Goodlettsville.

"We couldn't afford all our bills and a nice Christmas otherwise," Cook said. "A lot of people I know have two jobs."