Recession-era sex workers?

I’ve always wondered what the job interview was like to become an escort. Of course, I have no desire to sell myself, but for money, many people do turn to the world’s oldest profession to make money in tough economic times. In May, CNN reported that soccer moms are earning extra money by talking dirty on the phone while the kids are at school.

Many people who lost their jobs in the recession have chosen to work from home to make extra money.  Among the more unusual jobs out there are “phone actors.”  What does that mean?  In two words… “phone sex.”  Believe it or not, a lot of stay-at-home moms are using their voices and telephones to help make ends meet as the folks at Staffcentrix are finding.

And The Economist reports that many people find that selling sex is better than cleaning toilets.

Faced with fewer compelling jobs, some men and women may find the sex industry an attractive option.

I recently interviewed a high end provider who claimed the market in New York has always been competitive. She has yet to see a big difference in quality or quantity of supply, but she has observed a greater price elasticity of demand. On the Eros guide (warning contains explicit content), the central clearing house of escort services in the New York area (of course, I only visited the Eros cite to research my forthcoming article on the subject), some of the “VIP” providers are offering “Wall Street adjusted courtesy rates”. A non trivial number of the women also claim to be formerly employed in the “financial services industry”.

Even in the worst economy, becoming a prostitute is not merely a financial decision. The increase in supply probably comes from people already on the fringe of the industry

This article appears in Aug 17-23, 2010.