If you haven’t noticed yet, gig economy jobs have been booming! Especially with technology making it easier for people to make more money and find new interesting paying jobs.
Plus, the way people work and the demand for more flexibility in how we work has changed. To me, these are all great signs to help stimulate people’s savings, boost work from home and career interests.
And this is great news for anyone who may be limited on time or looking for some variety when it comes to how they make money. After all, sometimes our full-time jobs are not very fulfilling or even then struggle to pay enough to cover bills and cost of living.
It’s also important to note, the gig economy is not just about doing menial tasks or just driving for Uber. It’s far greater than that and extends into some well-paying freelance opportunities.
What is The Gig Economy?
You might have a good idea about the gig economy definition, but I’ll put my take on it for you before we get into the examples.
As you can probably tell from the into, gig economy jobs are frequently part-time jobs with flexible hours that can earn you extra cash. You will work generally as an independent contractor or freelancing instead of being part of the full-time staff.
The people in the gig economy may be referred to as online platform workers, contract firm workers, on-call workers and temporary workers. But, it’s all pretty interchangeable.
If you take part in the gig economy, the pay may be a bit lower and usually comes with no benefits like retirement savings or health insurance.
However, you can make quite a bit of money (potentially turn this into your full time job in a freelance capacity) and have flexible hours. And you have more control over your location and determine how much you want to work. It puts you in control!
What is cool is that anyone can work a gig economy job too.
Some of these jobs may require some previous experience or technical training, but not as likely compared to other careers.
If you have access to the internet, computer, phone, and meet any requirements — then you can take part in these lucrative side jobs!
Best Examples of Gig Economy Jobs
So, gig economy jobs are here to stay.
In fact, the number of jobs and people participating is growing in record numbers. By 2023, 52% of the US workforce will participate in the gig economy, at least occasionally according to this article.
Here are some solid gig economy jobs you might want to consider that can help you earn money and maybe even become your primary income.
1. Graphic Design & Branding
While you can certainly get a full-time position in a company doing graphic design, it’s also a popular gig economy job.
If you have any skills and passion for creating logos, flyers, ads, etc. you can make some good money for small businesses doing this.
You can look on freelance job boards, cold reach out to businesses, or sign-up for something like 99Designs or CrowdSpring.
Creating graphics and branding is a great way to build a portfolio and you can quickly scale revenue.
2. Digital Marketing
This is one that I took part in when I was first trying to build my marketing skills up. But there is so much demand for people who know how to do things like social media, paid advertising (like Facebook and Instagram), SEO, etc.
Most businesses will have some in-house marketers, but many need extra help or will be looking to outsource the work.
While some larger jobs may require a few years experience and a degree, smaller gigs don’t require that. Some minor experience and training is all it takes to get a good gig.
Now, I’m not diminishing the profession because it takes years to be a well-rounded master of marketing, but there are plenty of smaller digital marketing jobs you can do. You can find many of these quick marketing jobs on Upwork.
3. Freelance Writing
Even today in a much more visual world, writing is still valuable and important. Not only do businesses need good content writers, but there are many online publications that hire freelance writers.
And besides just straight up articles, you may be tasked with writing advertisements, billboards, website copy, or other forms of writing.
This is a popular gig economy job as you can be anywhere in the world to write. And while experience and some credentials will help you get gigs, you can find success without that by practicing and building your writing portfolio.
4. Pet Sitting and Dog Walking
One of the common gig economy jobs is pet sitting or dog walking. In some cases, these can pay you to an equivalent of a comfortable full-time salary.
However, that is generally not the norm. Instead, look at this as great supplemental income generated by tasks that are not overwhelming challenging.
You can use an app like Rover that connects you with people looking for others to walk their dogs, feed their cats, or take care of any pets. If you get a few repeat customers, the extra income can start to add up.
5. Virtual Assistant
For many online business owners or small businesses, hiring a virtual assistant to handle many recurring and daily tasks is a time saver.
Things like handling email, booking travel plans, scheduling social media, basic website management, scheduling meetings, data management, etc.
These are tasks that can be done anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection.
If you are really good and organized, you can probably handle more than one client too. And it doesn’t require schooling, but you do need some experience.
According to Payscale, virtual assistants can make between $10.15 – $50 per hour. You can find these gigs on remote job boards, LinkedIn, Flexjobs, Upwork, and other places.
6. Driving for Uber or Lyft
When you think about the gig economy, you might immediately thought about driving for Lyft or Uber. Those two have been quite popular, but as you can see from the list — there are many options.
Ride sharing has been popular now for a decade and these apps have changed the way people get rides. However, there has been some backlash over the years too, which prompted these companies to make changes.
How much you can make depends on your location, the hours and timing of your driving, your customer skills, etc.
But if you don’t like driving much and do not want to put mileage on your vehicle, this might not be for you.
7. Web developer/Coding
Coding is an art form and there are tons of languages out there that many people and businesses may need help with.
If you have noticed, the gig economy is really about the opportunities that tech has brought us.
As a web developer or coder, you’ll be troubleshooting, creating websites, helping develop software programs, and mobile apps specifically. Because there is a demand for great coders, you can freelance this work and do it whenever you have a good internet connection.
There are various coding languages but here are a few that are out there: HTML/CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, Ruby, React Native, Node.js, Python, etc. You can learn how to code with a platform like Codecademy, although more experience may be required.
8. Deliver Food
Food delivery services became wildly popular in the last few years, which gave more people opportunities to make money on their schedules. You can be flexible as to when and how often you accept deliveries.
Once you are approved by the company you may be a deliverer for, you can start accepting jobs right away.
Some of the popular food delivery apps include Postmates, Uber Eats, and DoorDash.
Additionally, you could deliver groceries for people through Instacart.
As an Instacart shopper, you can either shop in-store for customers who pick up their orders or shop and deliver orders to their homes
9. Proofreader/Editor
If you are not into writing articles, you might want to consider being a proofreader instead. You may enjoy catching grammar and misspellings.
Hell, I know I could use one myself but can’t afford anyone quite yet!
But this is a solid gig economy job that anyone with some skills can get paid to do. You might naturally be good at this, have previous education in the field, or you can learn to become a strong proofreader.
Whatever the case, there is always a demand to help edit and clean up content.
10. Video Editor
Video and visual media are huge parts for businesses and entertainment.
That means there is a demand for good video editors who know the in’s and out’s of editing software and camera equipment.
You’ll be doing everything from editing clips, making transitions, adding music and adjusting sound, and more.
These gigs you can quickly find on Upwork or Flexjobs, where you’ll find some strong pay rates for this quality of work.
11. Advanced Technology Jobs
Some of the highest paid gig economy jobs fall under the technology umbrella. Not only are these skills and knowledge in demand, but it makes it easier for people to work on their own terms.
So what tech jobs might I be referring to? Well there are a few that come to mind like AI, robotics, blockchain, virtual reality, and data science.
For these types of gigs, you’ll need to have some experience, probably a degree, and a good experience track record. But if you fit this area, you can very well go on your own, work when you want, and make some really good money.
Popular Gig Economy Apps
Now that you have some of the best gig economy examples, here are some of the easy ways to find work.
Thanks to the technology industry and mobile phone growth, there are tons of gig economy apps right at the tip of your fingers.
All you need is your phone, an account, and you’re off making money! Here are a few apps you want to consider downloading:
- TaskRabbit
- Rover
- Dolly
- Jobble
- Your Mechanic
- DoorDash
- Uber Eats
- Postmates
- AirBNB
- Spot Hero
- Fiverr (App)
- Lyft
- Uber
- GrubHub
- HelloTech
- Wonolo
These above are just a sample of the various gig economy apps that exist. As there are many more.
Pretty much any job you can think of there will be a corresponding platform. See if any interest you and give it a shot!
Where to Find Gig Economy Jobs
The above examples of gig economy jobs should help you get the wheels turning about potential work.
While you can use some of the apps listed above, you might be wondering where you can find these types of gigs.
Well, there is a few ways to put yourself out there:
- Sign-up for Flexjobs
- Fiverr (although usually lower pay)
- Upwork (people make a killing on here)
- Scan Craiglist’s “Gigs” section
- Promote yourself to friends and family
- Use flyers around your neighborhood
- Post on social media accounts so your networks know
- Start your own legit freelance business
- Look at other job boards
- Do a web search for “Gig economy jobs near me” and see what pops up
- Use the gig economy apps listed in the previous section
Where you go to find gig economy jobs will depend on your interests and what you plan to do. If you want to devote most of your time to it, you may use remote job boards or apps.
Or maybe you want to start your own freelance business, this is where you’ll create a website of your skills and market yourself out there.
The best thing you can do is write down your goals, skills, and what your current plan is and see what fits into your schedule.
How Much Can You Make In the Gig Economy?
The other major factor you might wonder is how much money you can make in the gig economy.
While some of these jobs may pay less, you can actually make quite a healthy salary. How much you make depends on what you choose to do and the amount of effort you want to put into it.
I’m by no means selling you the dream, because the gig economy is getting more competitive as it interests a wider audience range.
But it is a great way to make extra money, help build your savings or pay down debt, increase your skills, and could potentially lead to some healthy wages.
There are plenty of people who do this full-time, while traveling the world (digital nomads). That is not for everyone, but it gives you an idea of the capabilities with gig economy jobs.
For example, not too long ago a study was done and found the average overall pay appears to be somewhere in the $58,000 range.
That of course is a bit skewed with some of the higher gig economy earners, but there is some amazing potential.
Are you taking part in the gig economy yet? Have you made money with any of the above? What do you think about freelance and digital work? Let me know in the comments below!