The paid shifts idea is something I've already as well been sticking to, given the minor persistence that has been around on paradise regarding character friendships and all. I've also noticed a large portion of the assistant population is either:
New players, who won't be motivated by money because they're in the job because they want to learn the absolute basics,
or:
The regional tider population, who usually have very high initiative to already set up shops or run their own gimmicks.
This is really just looking to solve the issue of bridge hoboing, which this will do little to fix it feels, which is a cultural issue.