As inflation rises, paychecks just aren’t stretching as far as they used to.
In Britain, people are facing the biggest drop in spending power in 70 years as the cost of living spirals. Meanwhile, in the United States, where interest rates are already at their highest in 15 years, economists are predicting the Fed will hike rates once more.
As a result, workers around the world are feeling the strain on their pockets and resorting to alternative revenue streams to supplement their main income.
Indeed, research has shown that a third of workers are holding down three or more jobs.
Instead of grueling multiple commutes, these “polyworkers” are taking advantage of working from home and logging into their third or fourth shift of the day online.
In fact, around 24,000 people a month in the U.K. alone are going to Google to research “how to make money online,” according to domain and hosting provider Fasthosts, which used the Ahrefs keyword tool to gather the data.
On that note, the Fasthosts have outlined the side hustles that are generating the most buzz online.
The 5 most-searched-for side hustles
1. ‘Paid surveys’
The most popular way workers are looking to make money at home is through paid surveys, where workers can fill out questionnaires to their heart’s desire—even while the TV is blaring in the background. According to Fasthosts, the term is searched for 5,200 times a month on average in the U.K.—which it says is almost a 50% jump since December 2021.
2. ‘Sell clothes online’
As shopping for secondhand goods on the likes of eBay experiences a resurgence spearheaded by Gen Z, it’s no surprise that people are taking to Google to find out how to make spare cash from their unwanted clothes. Since December 2021, the term has seen a 72% increase in searches to roughly 3,300 per month.
3. ‘How to make money on TikTok’
With 1 billion active users and counting on the app, making money on TikTok is looking increasingly viable—so long as the platform doesn’t get banned. That may explain why “how to make money on TikTok” has experienced a 24% increase in searches since December 2021, to 2,600 per month.
There are a number of ways to cash in with TikTok, with Fasthosts recommending wannabe side hustlers join the social media platform’s Creator Fund, sell merchandise to followers, go live and collect gifts, or partner with brands for collaborations. “Of course, you’ll need a significant following to do the majority of these,” the hosting provider adds.
4. ‘How to sell feet pics’
Around 2,100 people a month are researching how to make money from their showing off their feet.
As adult content apps like OnlyFans are increasingly making the headlines for turning everyday people into successful “models” from the comfort of their own homes, it’s no surprise that more and more people want in. There’s been a 96% rise in people searching for “how to sell feet pics online” since December 2021.
5. ‘How to become a virtual assistant’
According to Fasthosts, virtual assistants carry out administrative duties, like appointment scheduling and diary management for clients and executives. It’s the side hustle that has seen the highest increase in searches in the past year with a whopping 170% rise in workers wanting to find how to become the remote equivalent of a PA—to 1,200 monthly searches.
