“Gen Z is not just working to live, nor living to work. They are rewriting what it means to earn, to dream and to be alive, one raket at a time.”
There is a word that turns routine into passion, transforms a paycheck into moments of joy. In Tagalog, we call it raket. In English, a side hustle.
Walk the streets of Manila at night and you will find them: a call center agent moonlighting as a MoveIt rider after his shift, a nurse live-selling beauty products on TikTok, a teacher doubling as a food content creator. They work wherever they can. For this generation, one job is no longer enough, not just to live but to feel alive.
The gig economy in the Philippines has grown beyond a quiet trend. It has become a movement among Gen Z, a generation shaped by rising costs of living and intense competition in landing jobs. According to the 2023 Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, over half of Gen Z workers worldwide now hold at least one side hustle alongside their main job due to financial pressures.
So why do they do it? Extra money, yes. But also agency, identity and joy. They have watched older generations sacrifice their lives to single careers, only to find themselves one illness or layoff away from losing everything. Gen Z is choosing differently. They want more than a single stream of income. They want multiple ways to be themselves.
Meet Patricia
At 26 years old, Patricia Rigodon’s life is full of carefully plotted commitments. She works full-time as a road manager for celebrities which involves scheduling projects, arranging guestings, and negotiating with clients. As a side hustle, she handles influencers for events outside her workplace.
Earlier this year, she opened a backyard café. It started out as a passion project to honor her mom, who established their family restaurant.
“When I lost my mom two years ago, I realized that life is really short,” Patricia said. “That’s why I told myself I would never take time for granted. I would spend it on things that would benefit me. Whether it’s in the form of income or just pure joy.”
When she is not managing the operations and marketing of her coffee shop or booking celebrity shoots as a road manager, Patricia spends her earnings on her small business, travel or other forms of gigs, as in music gigs of her favorite artists Sud, Lola Amour and TJ Monterde.
When asked how she manages it all without burning out, she plots her schedule ahead then works around her regular work schedule. Sometimes, she said, “I prioritize based on the needs of my raket as long as it doesn’t compromise my full-time job.”
Redefining decent work
At the center of these stories lies a bigger question: Is this kind of work truly sustainable?
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 8 calls for “decent work and economic growth,” emphasizing full, productive employment and work that upholds dignity and security. In traditional terms, decent work implies stability or a job that provides benefits, healthcare and long-term security.
For Gen Z, however, the word “decent” is evolving. It no longer equates to being permanent. It now means work that aligns with their values and allows room for small pleasures and freedom.
But side hustling comes at a price. The gig economy often offers flexibility at the expense of security. Many freelancers and gig workers navigate without health insurance, paid leave or guaranteed paychecks. One slow month can feel like a free fall without a safety net.
Price of passion
While the gig economy in the Philippines can be a great way to pursue passions, it is important to remember that it does not always offer the same security as a fixed salary job. There are no HR offices to file complaints when clients vanish, no guaranteed 13th-month pay, no ready pension waiting decades down the line.
Yet for Patricia and for many others, the trade-off is worth it. The chance to build a life, where work is not the enemy of joy but its ally, is a freedom too precious to abandon. In the end, perhaps the real paycheck is not just in pesos, but in every moment that makes them feel truly, stubbornly alive.
In the busy cities in the metro, one thing is clear: Gen Z is not just working to live, nor living to work. They are rewriting what it means to earn, to dream and to be alive, one raket at a time.
Rhussell Famy is an assistant manager for influencer marketing for an integrated resort in Manila. Outside of work, he is a lifestyle digital content creator. He is also the founder of advocacy initiatives that empower the youth called Project Pinta and Be the Juan PH. Currently, he is pursuing the Master of Marketing Communications program at De La Salle University – Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. He can be reached at rhussell_famy@dlsu.edu.ph or Instagram: @rhussellfamy.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.
