Upshift data · November 2026
“No one wants to work anymore.”
How splitting your full-time positions into shifts can solve your hiring problem
The full-time job stays open for weeks
Many hiring managers tell us the same thing. They cannot find people for their open positions at the wages they can pay. The job stays advertised, and the work still needs doing.
My problem here is I struggle to find employees. I have positions open. I probably have eight open positions right now and they've been open for three months and I can't, can't get them filled.
The hiring pressure will grow, and the worker shortage will go deeper
The numbers behind the people you cannot find are moving the wrong way. More Americans are retiring, fewer immigrants are arriving, and a smaller share of adults is working.
Workers rank scheduling flexibility right behind pay
Flexible shifts can attract experienced people who would pass on a fixed schedule.
Pay still matters most. But a raise is not the only way to attract workers. Flexible shifts bring in experienced people who will not take a fixed 40-hour schedule, and about half of Upshifters already work at two or more businesses.
- 1Pay
- 2Scheduling flexibility
Three Upshifters explain, in their own words, how flexible shifts fit their lives.
“Upshift allows me the flexibility to be a devoted caregiver for my family and work a full schedule around that.”
“I planned on going back to school and was looking for a job with a flexible schedule.”
“Upshift is the perfect complement to my full-time job due to its flexibility.”
Upshifter of the Week posts on upshift.work.
The solution: split the job to reach high-caliber workers who are looking for flexible work
Full-time staff stay the backbone of your operation. But when you let people work flexibly and split an open job into shifts, you reach pools of people that are growing.
In 2025, 5.4% of employed Americans held more than one job, the highest yearly share since 2000. Searches for a second job have never been higher.
Many of these people already have careers. Swipe to meet some of them.
Finding one experienced person for the full schedule can be hard. Splitting the hours into shifts can bring in several experienced people, each available for part of the week.
Here is what that looks like in a real week of server shifts in a senior living dining room near Atlanta.
“I don’t want to retrain people all the time.” They are your regulars. They just don’t work 40 hours a week.
The same people come back to the same business, week after week. Here is how often, and what three of our clients say about it.
- 88 shifts: someone who has worked at that business before
- 12 shifts: someone working there for the first time
Consistent 80%+ Upshifter return rate from week 3
Read the case study →★★★★★“I use the same people over and over [from Upshift], they kind of blend in with my staff.”
Jason Ritter, Director of Catering at Chartwells (Compass Group) at UNC Charlotte
90.4% Upshifter return rate in week 5
Read the case study →★★★★★“The supervisors love it when we get what we like to call regulars and I'll favor them. Because they liked us, they would grab our shifts quickly.”
Shelly Kohls, Employee Relations Manager at Tente
Average Upshifter return rate of 82%
Read the case study →★★★★★“It's great to have somebody that we can rely on and that knows the job and knows the building.”
Karol Osinski, Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
“Will they be skilled?” You see their history before they arrive.
Before a shift, you see each Upshifter’s work history before Upshift, their history on Upshift, their rating and their bio. Only 12% of applicants make it onto Upshift, and every Upshifter is background-checked.
On Upshift since 2022
- Banquet server1,390 h
- Busser / server's assistant640 h
- Catering attendant455 h
Cleveland Museum of Art, St. Clair Ballroom
See full work history
- Banquet server1,390 h
- Busser / server's assistant640 h
- Catering attendant455 h
- Dishwasher430 h
- Food runner207 h
- Server120 h
- Housekeeper75 h
- Event venues2,905 h
- Food service297 h
- Hotels210 h
- Private clubs141 h
On Upshift since 2023
- Café food service1,073 h
- Banquet server1,027 h
- Server492 h
Southminster, The Blake, and 10+ Charlotte locations
See full work history
- Café food service1,073 h
- Banquet server1,027 h
- Server492 h
- Quick-service food and drink150 h
- Bindery helper131 h
- Bartender and barista57 h
- Event venues1,137 h
- Private clubs623 h
- Senior living579 h
- Food service384 h
- Campus dining282 h
- Manufacturing131 h
On Upshift since 2021
- Banquet server1,234 h
- Bartender261 h
- Catering attendant and server126 h
Banquets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
See full work history
- Banquet server1,234 h
- Bartender261 h
- Catering attendant and server126 h
- Event liaison63 h
- Action station cook24 h
- Event venues790 h
- Food service467 h
- Hotels301 h
- Catering75 h
- Campus dining52 h
- Senior living52 h
Upshifter of the Week profiles from upshift.work. Hours, shifts, roles and business types from Upshift data, November 2026. Venues as named in their published profiles.
Traditional hiring takes 3 to 4 weeks
Post a shift on Upshift and get applicants within a day.
Keep your regular hiring process for the full-time role. Post the shifts on Upshift in the meantime, so the work gets done while you hire.
Write and post ads, wait for applicants, and sort through unqualified candidates.
Schedule and run interviews.
Run the background check before the new hire can start.
Complete the drug test, then the new hire starts.
Post the hours you need covered on Upshift.
About 9 in 10 shifts get their first applicant within 24 hours.
Every Upshifter is background-checked. Only 12% of applicants make it onto Upshift. You see their work history and ratings.
“Mostly I have them next day.” Tommy Matanovic, Eurest (Compass Group)
You've done the hard work for me. You've interviewed them. You've talked to them. You've decided, yes, this person can do this job. And now I just get to borrow them from you.
- The problem. Full-time jobs stay open at the wages you can pay, but the work still needs doing.
- Why it gets worse. Retirements rise, immigration falls, and a smaller share of adults works. Lightcast projects about 6 million US workers short by 2032.
- The fix. Split full-time jobs into shifts to reach a growing pool of people with careers who want extra work.
- The proof. 88 of every 100 shifts go to returning workers. You see their history before they arrive. Applicants usually arrive within a day.
Tell us, and we will show you how Upshifters can cover its shifts in your city.
Sources. Google Trends, US searches for "second job", 2004 to 2026. Peak 65 estimates, Alliance for Lifetime Income, 2025 update. US Census Bureau, Historic Decline in Net International Migration, 2026. Lightcast, The Rising Storm, 2024. Public Upshifter of the Week profiles on upshift.work. Pew Research Center on Americans aged 65 and over (2010, 2023). BLS employment projections and multiple jobholders (2025, 2026).
Upshift data · November 2026
“No one wants to work anymore.”
How splitting your full-time positions into shifts can solve your hiring problem
The full-time job stays open for weeks
Many hiring managers tell us the same thing. They cannot find people for their open positions at the wages they can pay. The job stays advertised, and the work still needs doing.
My problem here is I struggle to find employees. I have positions open. I probably have eight open positions right now and they've been open for three months and I can't, can't get them filled.
The hiring pressure will grow, and the worker shortage will go deeper
The numbers behind the people you cannot find are moving the wrong way. More Americans are retiring, fewer immigrants are arriving, and a smaller share of adults is working.
Workers rank scheduling flexibility right behind pay
Flexible shifts can attract experienced people who would pass on a fixed schedule.
Pay still matters most. But a raise is not the only way to attract workers. Flexible shifts bring in experienced people who will not take a fixed 40-hour schedule, and about half of Upshifters already work at two or more businesses.
- 1Pay
- 2Scheduling flexibility
Three Upshifters explain, in their own words, how flexible shifts fit their lives.
“Upshift allows me the flexibility to be a devoted caregiver for my family and work a full schedule around that.”
“I planned on going back to school and was looking for a job with a flexible schedule.”
“Upshift is the perfect complement to my full-time job due to its flexibility.”
Upshifter of the Week posts on upshift.work.
The solution: split the job to reach high-caliber workers who are looking for flexible work
Full-time staff stay the backbone of your operation. But when you let people work flexibly and split an open job into shifts, you reach pools of people that are growing.
In 2025, 5.4% of employed Americans held more than one job, the highest yearly share since 2000. Searches for a second job have never been higher.
Many of these people already have careers. Swipe to meet some of them.
Finding one experienced person for the full schedule can be hard. Splitting the hours into shifts can bring in several experienced people, each available for part of the week.
Here is what that looks like in a real week of server shifts in a senior living dining room near Atlanta.
“I don’t want to retrain people all the time.” They are your regulars. They just don’t work 40 hours a week.
The same people come back to the same business, week after week. Here is how often, and what three of our clients say about it.
- 88 shifts: someone who has worked at that business before
- 12 shifts: someone working there for the first time
Consistent 80%+ Upshifter return rate from week 3
Read the case study →★★★★★“I use the same people over and over [from Upshift], they kind of blend in with my staff.”
Jason Ritter, Director of Catering at Chartwells (Compass Group) at UNC Charlotte
90.4% Upshifter return rate in week 5
Read the case study →★★★★★“The supervisors love it when we get what we like to call regulars and I'll favor them. Because they liked us, they would grab our shifts quickly.”
Shelly Kohls, Employee Relations Manager at Tente
Average Upshifter return rate of 82%
Read the case study →★★★★★“It's great to have somebody that we can rely on and that knows the job and knows the building.”
Karol Osinski, Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Cincinnati
“Will they be skilled?” You see their history before they arrive.
Before a shift, you see each Upshifter’s work history before Upshift, their history on Upshift, their rating and their bio. Only 12% of applicants make it onto Upshift, and every Upshifter is background-checked.
On Upshift since 2022
- Banquet server1,390 h
- Busser / server's assistant640 h
- Catering attendant455 h
Cleveland Museum of Art, St. Clair Ballroom
See full work history
- Banquet server1,390 h
- Busser / server's assistant640 h
- Catering attendant455 h
- Dishwasher430 h
- Food runner207 h
- Server120 h
- Housekeeper75 h
- Event venues2,905 h
- Food service297 h
- Hotels210 h
- Private clubs141 h
On Upshift since 2023
- Café food service1,073 h
- Banquet server1,027 h
- Server492 h
Southminster, The Blake, and 10+ Charlotte locations
See full work history
- Café food service1,073 h
- Banquet server1,027 h
- Server492 h
- Quick-service food and drink150 h
- Bindery helper131 h
- Bartender and barista57 h
- Event venues1,137 h
- Private clubs623 h
- Senior living579 h
- Food service384 h
- Campus dining282 h
- Manufacturing131 h
On Upshift since 2021
- Banquet server1,234 h
- Bartender261 h
- Catering attendant and server126 h
Banquets at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
See full work history
- Banquet server1,234 h
- Bartender261 h
- Catering attendant and server126 h
- Event liaison63 h
- Action station cook24 h
- Event venues790 h
- Food service467 h
- Hotels301 h
- Catering75 h
- Campus dining52 h
- Senior living52 h
Upshifter of the Week profiles from upshift.work. Hours, shifts, roles and business types from Upshift data, November 2026. Venues as named in their published profiles.
Traditional hiring takes 3 to 4 weeks
Post a shift on Upshift and get applicants within a day.
Keep your regular hiring process for the full-time role. Post the shifts on Upshift in the meantime, so the work gets done while you hire.
Write and post ads, wait for applicants, and sort through unqualified candidates.
Schedule and run interviews.
Run the background check before the new hire can start.
Complete the drug test, then the new hire starts.
Post the hours you need covered on Upshift.
About 9 in 10 shifts get their first applicant within 24 hours.
Every Upshifter is background-checked. Only 12% of applicants make it onto Upshift. You see their work history and ratings.
“Mostly I have them next day.” Tommy Matanovic, Eurest (Compass Group)
You've done the hard work for me. You've interviewed them. You've talked to them. You've decided, yes, this person can do this job. And now I just get to borrow them from you.
- The problem. Full-time jobs stay open at the wages you can pay, but the work still needs doing.
- Why it gets worse. Retirements rise, immigration falls, and a smaller share of adults works. Lightcast projects about 6 million US workers short by 2032.
- The fix. Split full-time jobs into shifts to reach a growing pool of people with careers who want extra work.
- The proof. 88 of every 100 shifts go to returning workers. You see their history before they arrive. Applicants usually arrive within a day.
Tell us, and we will show you how Upshifters can cover its shifts in your city.
Sources. Google Trends, US searches for "second job", 2004 to 2026. Peak 65 estimates, Alliance for Lifetime Income, 2025 update. US Census Bureau, Historic Decline in Net International Migration, 2026. Lightcast, The Rising Storm, 2024. Public Upshifter of the Week profiles on upshift.work. Pew Research Center on Americans aged 65 and over (2010, 2023). BLS employment projections and multiple jobholders (2025, 2026).