Description:
<jats:p>Secondary employment (SE) is an important for many workers and several motives impact engagement. This research analyzes a novel short‐lived crisis when California public schools switched between nine‐month and year‐round calendars in response to state policy inhibiting school construction. The crisis shifted primary employment vacation schedules of full‐time teachers for 4–6 years, potentially altering compositions of SE opportunities. Policy analysis is conducted, and the empirical analysis suggests teachers increase SE engagement by 13.8% during years their schools are on year‐round calendars. The increase is attributable to increases in school‐based SE engagement in schools using multi‐track year‐round calendars, and no changes in non‐school‐based SE engagement are observed. An event study suggests the impact on SE engagement only occurs when teachers are required to be on year‐round calendars. Males and mid‐career teachers' SE engagement appear most responsive. The relative importance of workers' SE motives and policy impact are discussed.</jats:p>