MOONLIGHTING AND ITS IMPACT ON PRIMARY JOB PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOL TEACHERS: A STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BATTICALOA CENTRAL ZONE, SRILANKA

In practically every economy, people moonlight.The aim of the present research was to examine the effects on moonlighting on the primary job performance of government school teachers in Sri Lanka.Using the purposive sampling approach, the study selected a sample of 182 teachers from the Batticaloa Central Zone.Three key moonlighting constructs-moonlighting for additional income, moonlighting for skill variety, moonlighting for job autonomy-were included in the questionnaire as independent variables, with primary job performance serving as the dependent variable.The data was analysed using Smart-PLS4.0.Data were collected from 182 teachers through a structured questionnaire.The results indicate that moonlighting for skill diversity ( = 0.499, t = 10.214,p < 0.05) and job autonomy ( = 0.257, t = 4.740, p < 0.05) significantly and positively influence job performance, suggesting that teachers who engage in skill-enhancing secondary jobs or maintain autonomy in their work exhibit improved performance.Conversely, moonlighting for additional income ( = -0.145,t = 2.631, p < 0.05) negatively impacts job performance, as financial-driven moonlighting leads to increased fatigue and reduced engagement in the primary job.These results highlight the dual nature of moonlighting, emphasizing the need for policies that minimize financial-driven moonlighting while promoting skill-enhancing opportunities to improve teacher performance.