Language, mechanical, and marketing skills in demand for side hustles

With the massive increase in cost of living in the UK, many workers are looking to side hustles as a way to earn extra cash. New research from the job search engine Adzuna has revealed that the most lucrative side hustles offer extra income of up to £48,000 a year. According to the official ONS data, the number of workers with second jobs increased to 1,252,000 between July and September this year. This is the highest number in 10 years.

Adzuna’s research looked at nearly 1.1 million open roles listed on the website during November 2022, analysing UK job openings that would be ideal as a second job. Twenty-five roles were analysed, and 479,111 job vacancies were found among these roles. This equals 44% of the UK jobs currently available.

The top five best-paid side hustles jobs are:

• Translator (£48,648)
• Handyman (£36,980)
• Content Writer (£36,635)
• Influencer (£36,461)
• Music Teacher (£36,441)

Also lucrative are roles are Proofreaders (£32,624), Graphic Designers (£36,145), and Photographers (£33,306). Virtual Assistants (£35,521) and Social Media Managers (£33,729) are also options.

For temporary roles, ideal for students, further opportunities are on offer. With the peak shopping season upon us, retailers are recruiting large numbers of temp workers to meet the spike in customer demand. Seasonal temp roles are the most sought after and workers can expect to earn an average of £32,058 pro rata. These jobs, however, often require shifts during evenings, weekends, and bank holidays. According to the research, over 156,900 temporary job vacancies remain unfilled.

Other popular side gig roles, despite offering incomes of under £31,000, include:

• Drivers for companies like Uber and Evri
• Grocery delivery workers
• Pet Sitters
• Cleaners
• House sitters
• Baby sitters
• Gardeners

There are also many secondary job options available in the Hospitality sector, such as receptionists and waiter openings with pay in the region of £23,000. Data Entry Clerks and Mystery Shoppers can expect to earn an average of £25,380 and £20,166 each.

There are also more than 96,000 vacancies for Cleaners and Drivers.  The demand for Tutor and Translator roles is also fairly high, with 30,285 and 22,327 job openings, respectively.

Paul Lewis, Chief Customer Officer at job search engine Adzuna, commented: “Despite the tough macroeconomic environment, workers in the UK are finding new ways to increase their income and secure their living standards. Taking up a side gig on top of a 9-to-5 job has become a necessity to make ends meet for many households. For others, a side gig offers the chance to top up the Christmas coffers. Luckily, there’s currently a wide variety of second job options available. Jobseekers who are proficient in foreign languages, skilled at copywriting or fixing things, or who always stay on top of social media trends have a great chance of finding a side job with competitive pay. And for those simply looking for a festive role to earn some holiday cash, there are still thousands of delivery drivers and Christmas temp roles worth considering.”