Gig economy jobs have been on the rise for a while – and remain an excellent way to supplement your income.
For many people, gig economy jobs are the main source of income, and their freelancing gigs have even replaced their full-time job.
If you want the freedom to manage your own time and do things your way, the gig economy could very well be the answer to your problems.
If you’re looking to increase your income, retire early, or simply want to kiss your 9-5 job goodbye and become your own boss, there are endless opportunities out there waiting for you.
20+ Best Gig Economy Jobs
Here are the best gig economy jobs in 2024:
- Delivery Driving
- Rideshare Driving
- Software Programming
- Online Marketing & PR
- Rent Out Your Space
- Video & Multimedia Editing
- Accounting
- Home Improvement Jobs
- Occupational Therapies
- Hairdressing
- Sewing
- Freelance Writer
- Graphic Designer
- Dog Walking
- Proofreading
- Pet Sitter
- Bellhop
- Virtual Assistant
- Independent Contracting
- Host
- Babysitting
- Dropshipping
- Coaching
- Software Testing
- Affiliate Marketer
1. Delivery Driving
If you are interested in providing delivery services, you will find quite a few apps that can help you get in front of potential customers.
Generally, you can expect to earn as much as $25 per hour, delivering anything from takeouts and groceries to office supplies and even booze.
Many apps do not even require you to have a car. If you have a bicycle, you can still do certain deliveries although this might limit the number of jobs you can take. You will also have the freedom to choose your work hours.
Deliver Food with Doordash
Deliver Groceries with Instacart
2. Rideshare Driving
Ridesharing is perhaps one of the biggest side hustles available. If you have a car and want to earn some money providing rideshare services, Uber and Lyft are the two top options in the market at the moment.
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3. Software Programming
Fields like data science, A.I., blockchain, and web security are growing sectors that can be extremely high paying in the gig economy. There is a huge demand for skilled freelancers in the I.T. and software fields.
Expected earnings could be anywhere north of $50 per hour in this field. In cutting-edge areas like data science or A.I., it could go even higher.
Software programmers and web developers also fall in this same level. But depending on the complexity of the project and the skill required, the rate you’ll make will vary.
4. Online Marketing & PR
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin are very popular among businesses. Users are always on the lookout for engaging content.
Freelancers in this field can earn anywhere from $25-40 per hour, developing marketing content for businesses.
To succeed, you must have a clear knowledge of how the platform works, an understanding of the audience, as well as the ability to create engaging content in line with the brand identity.
5. Rent Out Space on Neighbor or RV Share
There is a whole market dedicated to rentals. From renting cars and R.V.s to your closet or the entire apartment, you can make quite a bit of money by renting out what you already own.
Depending on the location, your earning potential could go way up, such as having a large storage space near a city like New York.
If you live close to mountains or scenic trails and campgrounds, you could make money by renting out an RV.
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6. Video Editing & Multimedia
Content is king everywhere online. There is a huge market for freelance multimedia video editors and content creators.
If you have excellent skills in video editing software, you could potentially earn up to $40 per hour on video gigs as a freelancer.
7. Accounting
With more and more businesses looking to outsource skilled jobs, certified accountants should find no trouble in finding jobs in the gig economy in 2024.
There is strong growth in this sector, pegged at around 10% by official statistics. You can expect to earn a salary similar to online marketers and video editors in this gig.
8. Home Improvement Jobs
There is a massive shortage of skilled and certified tradespeople out there. Surprisingly, plumbers and carpenters can expect to earn quite a lot in the new gig economy.
With the right kind of skills and experience, you can expect to earn up to $55000 per year with regular on-demand jobs. The average hourly wage is around $20, which is not too bad.
Steady is an excellent app to find side hustle jobs and local jobs based on your skills.
9. Occupational Therapists
Occupational therapy and rehabilitation are jobs that sync nicely with the on-demand gig economy. Since the clients in these jobs are usually disabled, injured, or ill, you have to reach them to provide services.
The demand for occupational therapists is expected to grow by 27% this year alone. The median salary is also very good, at around $81,900, and an hourly wage of around $38.
10. Hairstylist
As a freelance hairstylist, you can make just shy of $4,000 a month. Location is a big factor in maximizing earning potential, but you can also move hair products to supplement your income and increase your take-home pay.
11. Sewing
From alternations to custom jobs, mastering sewing can open many different doors. You can find local jobs for friends and neighbors or use freelancing apps and websites to reach a far larger market.
12. Freelance Writer
Freelance writing is one of the most sought-after freelance jobs available today. Good command of the language you want to write in is essential, as is knowledge on a variety of subjects to write authoritative content that customers will want to pay good money for.
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13. Graphic Designer
With many businesses having websites and apps, graphic designers are fast becoming one of the most sought-after freelancers in the gig economy. You’ll need to master a few different applications and have an artistic eye for detail to make it to the top.
The average pay is $30 per hour and can go as high as $60 per hour.
14. Dog Walking
Not many freelance jobs are as fun as taking dogs for walks. If you’re friends with man’s best friend, this job can help you relax while making money. Dog walking typically pays around $15 per hour, but you can make more than that if you take more than one dog at a time.
15. Proofreading
Proofreading requires a very strong command of the language, and you need to be able to stick to the client’s style guide if this is required.
They tend to be quite flexible, but some deadlines are inevitable. You can expect to make an average of $61,000 per year, but it can go as high as $90,000.
16. Pet Sitter
As a pet sitter, you will either receive pets in your own home or spend time at their owner’s place. If accepting pets at your location, make sure you are able to do so, especially if you’re renting since this is not always allowed.
Either way, you’ll get to spend time with furry creatures, which is always fun.
17. Bellhop
As a bellhop, you can expect to make around $17.00 per hour, but the rate does vary. There isn’t a lot of flexibility, and of course, you need to be on location to do this job.
Overall, it’s quite an easy job, and tips can give a serious boost to your take-home pay.
18. Virtual Assistance
Virtual assistants take care of a number of things for busy individuals, executives, and business owners who need help getting things done. As a virtual assistant, you can take on multiple clients, but you need to pre-set your availability to make sure customers can reach you when they need you.
19. Independent Contracting
As an independent contractor, the amount of money you’ll make will depend on your area of expertise, with some areas demanding far higher pay than others. Most contractors work on a contract-by-contract basis. This can give you peace of mind that pay is going to come in for the duration of the contract, which is one of the reasons that it is so attractive.
20. Hosting
Hosting travelers and holidaymakers is one of the most lucrative jobs in the gig economy. You can combine it with other jobs such as freelance writing and graphic design to make the most out of your time. Location is very important to how much money you will be able to make with apps like Airbnb, making it easy to find customers.
21. Babysitting
Babysitting can be a highly-rewarding freelance job where you get to take care of little kids while their parents or guardians are away. Qualifications are not always necessary, but they can be of much help, and you will need to adjust your availability according to the clients’ requirements.
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22. Dropshipping
With dropshipping, you do not have to worry about keeping stock or dealing with returns – your job is to find potential customers and funnel them through to the supplier’s website. You can earn a lot of money with dropshipping, whether you focus on high-value items or high-volume sales.
23. Coaching
Coaching is very diverse, with coaches specializing in a variety of fields ranging from sports to business to life and everything else in between. Having the right qualifications can help you increase your credibility with customers. You can work as a coach remotely, saving you time traveling from one location to another.
24. Software Testing
Testing software and websites can pay up to $100,000 per year, which is pretty awesome! The requirements for this job can change from one job to the next, but an understanding of programming can definitely help you get further ahead as it will allow you to provide more detailed feedback to the developers.
25. Affiliate Marketer
As an affiliate marketer, you do not have to sell any products or services. Instead, you build websites that attract high volumes of visitors, which you funnel to the affiliate marketing program company to get a commission from any sales originating from your traffic.
If you’re successful, you can make some serious money with content and SEO being two of the most helpful skills you’ll need to get you there.
Gig Economy Apps and Websites
There are several avenues you can try when looking for freelance and on-demand gigs in 2024. These include websites that act as a massive platform for all kinds of gigs, as well as more specialized apps that connect you to clients that need a particular service.
The most popular freelance and part-time job sites are the following:
Understanding The Different Types of Gig Economy Jobs
If you want to become a freelancer or contractor in the modern gig economy, you first need to decide what type of work you would like to do. Here, there are mainly two things that you need to think about – the amount of time you can dedicate to your freelance practice as well as the services that you want and can offer.
Some hustles are more time-intensive than others. Understanding how much time you can dedicate, as well as what you can expect to be offered, is the first step.
Here’s the type of jobs you can expect to be offered as a freelancer or independent contractor.
Job-Based Gigs: Best for Beginners
Job-based gigs are gigs in which your services are required for a particular job. These types of gigs are usually paid by the job, which means that you will earn a pre-agreed amount of money for a completed job.
Indefinite Contract-Based Gigs: Best for Intermediate
Indefinite contracts supply a stream of work in which you can work as jobs become available. Usually, there is no obligation to work any set amount of hours and jobs, and there is no guarantee that there will always be work to complete.
Definite Contract-Based Gigs: Best for Experienced
Definite contracts last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months, and you will need to work a set amount of hours as defined in the contract. Typically, the pay is set per hour, and you might also have targets that need to be achieved.
Once you have decided which type of gigs suit you best, you can start looking at the types of services you can offer. It should be noted at this point that while some gigs require expertise or certifications, you can get these online quite easily if you are ready to put in the time and the work to maximize your earning potential.
Skilled Gigs
These types of jobs require some sort of qualification or particular skill. They might be harder to come by, but they generally tend to pay decent money. The tasks that you’ll have to complete can be done from your home or office, or anywhere from a computer and an internet connection. Stuff like writing, editing, proofreading, software development, and programming fall into this category.
Labor Gigs
Labor-related gigs are best suited for folks who know a particular manual skill or trade. Plumbing, gardening, lawn mowing, home improvement, and furniture repairs all fall into this category. If you are a “jack of all trades” kind of person, labor gigs are the best option to earn some extra dough on the side.
Driving Gigs
Both ridesharing, as well as delivery gigs, fall into this category. Here you will be delivering food, groceries, and supplies as well as driving people around. In most cases, you will need a car, but some delivery gigs are fine with a bicycle.
Rental Gigs
This might seem less like a job and more like your property or house doing a job. But rental gigs are more than just listing your property on a site or app.
You have to manage client requests, do maintenance and cleaning, and do other related activities if you want to keep getting new clients. So in that sense, it is a job.
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