The news comes just weeks after Donald Trump delivered a speech<\/a> in which he claimed that the United States was \u201cpoised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Just weeks earlier, he had scored his economy<\/a> as \u201cA+++++.\u201d<\/p>\n New figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, seen by The Washington Post<\/a>, have called his claims into question. <\/p>\n According to the BLS, 9.3 million people have taken on multiple jobs to make ends meet. That figure is up from 8.9 million in March 2025, which was reported by Forbes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unemployment rates have also spiked under Trump<\/a>. The current figure stands at 4.6 percent, according to BLS statistics, a four-year high. <\/p>\n The spike in people taking on additional jobs and the rise in general unemployment are worrying signs for the economy, suggesting the labor market is slowing.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n During Trump\u2019s second term, more Americans are taking second jobs than ever (Getty)<\/p>\n In the last three months, Trump has added just 67,000 jobs have been added to the economy. That is eight times smaller than when he took over from President Joe Biden<\/a>, whom the current commander-in-chief claimed had \u201cblown up the economy.\u201d <\/p>\n Joshua Beers, a government contractor from Maryland, told The Washington Post<\/a> that he was forced to take a second job because of last year\u2019s government shutdown. Unlike federal workers in payrolled positions, he did not receive any back pay during the 43-day shutdown. <\/p>\n \u201cThe job market feels really confusing right now,\u201d he said, telling the newspaper that he was still delivering food for Uber Eats<\/a>. \u201cI don\u2019t want to give up anything I can do for additional income on the side.<\/p>\n Trump has long struggled to downplay the importance of BLS reports, insisting in September 2025 that the \u201creal numbers\u201d will be available<\/a> in a \u201cyear from now.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that the second half of 2026 would see the opening of \u201chuge, beautiful places, the palaces of genius\u201d and that the public will see \u201cjob numbers that are going to be absolutely incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Much of the economic chaos has followed the huge government shutdown in Autumn 2025 (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n However, Laura Ullrich, director of economic research at the Indeed Hiring Lab, told The Washington Post that the latest BLS report could indicate that affordability is becoming an increasingly serious issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people start adding jobs, and certainly a second full-time job, that says something about affordability, and about needing more money to meet household expenditures,\u201d she said. \u201cIn theory, yes, if people \u2018want\u2019 to have multiple jobs, and they\u2019re able to find them, that\u2019s a good thing. <\/p>\n \u201cBut from a human perspective, the fact that more people are working two full-time jobs is hard to think of as a positive development.\u201d<\/p>\n The number of people working part-time has spiked by 62 percent between November 2024 and 2025, according to the statistics. That massive jump was the biggest increase on record and was largely fuelled by people being unable to find full-time work. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n The BLS findings are worrying news for the economy, as the labor market continues to get \u2018worse\u2019 (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n Guy Berger, director of economic research at the Burning Glass Institute, told The Post that it was a sign of \u201cunderemployment\u201d and is a clear signal that the \u201clabor market is getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n A poll in December found that frustration with Trump\u2019s economic policies<\/a> is growing. The NPR\/PBS News\/Marist Survey<\/a> found that 57 percent of respondents disapproved of his economic plans, his lowest rating on the issue across both of his terms in office. <\/p>\n Although 81 percent of Republicans thought he was handling the economy well, 91 percent of Democrats had the exact opposite opinion. The survey found that 68 percent of independents were also unhappy with his economic plans, with pollsters suggesting the issue could continue to become bigger for Trump.<\/p>\n![\"During](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254941676.jpg\")
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