Yahoo Finance Revealed: Airtasker’s top side hustles for 2021
If you’re a swimming instructor, bicycle repair expert or a home improvement specialist, you’re well-placed to make some easy cash on the side, new figures have revealed.
Demand for swimming instructors more than doubled in the last 12 months at an increase of 105 per cent year-on-year, according to Airtasker data provided exclusively to Yahoo Finance.
The COVID-19 lockdowns last year meant recreation centres were shut down and exercise was limited to within the house or within 5km of people’s place of residence.
But with restrictions having eased across most of Australia (with the exception of Brisbane’s snap lockdown), swimming pools are open and in demand, an Airtasker spokesperson indicated.
“In 2020, a lot of kids missed out on their swim tuition or had their lessons interrupted, so these numbers suggest parents are looking to get their children back on track.”
Swim instructions wanting to capitalise on their skills stand to make an average of $90 per lesson through Airtasker, the data reveals.
Bicycle repair specialists also stand to earn $87 a pop, with demand for people seeking to have their bikes repaired spiking by 88 per cent.
Social distancing measures resulted in a significant change in travel and exercise patterns, according to the Airtasker spokesperson, and Aussies are pulling their old bikes out of the garage.
“Interestingly, this time last year, we saw a significant increase in people looking to repair old bicycles, as they looked to avoiding public transport and for alternate ways to exercise, once gyms closed.
“It’s risen again this year, which suggests Aussies are sticking with their new healthy habits and upkeeping their bikes.”
As people spend more time at home, remote work becomes a permanent fixture of Australians’ lives and people seek upgrades to their personal spaces and homes, demand for home improvement tasks have also spiked, according to Airtasker.
Demand for stonemasons have increased 54 per cent year-on-year, while labourers and cement renderers are both 46 per cent more in demand than this time last year.
Interior designers, carpenters, painters and item removalists have also seen a rise in demand of 44 per cent, 42 per cent, 31 per cent, and 12 per cent respectively.
A 40 per cent uptick in demand for full-house removalists reveals Australians are rethinking their living arrangements, while a 38 per cent spike in demand for cleaners shows appetite for an ‘autumn clean’.
Here’s the full list of Airtasker’s most in-demand tasks and the average price of each:
Swim instructors up 105% – average task price $90
Bicycle repair up 88% – average task price $87
Stonemasons up 54% YoY – average task price $419
Labour tasks up 46% YoY – average task price $225
Cement rendering up 46% YoY – average task price $536
Interior design up 44% YoY– average task price $266
Carpenters up 42% YoY– average task price $418
Full house removals up 40% YoY– average task price $360
Painters up 31% YoY– average task price $560
Item removalists up 12% YoY– average task price $151
General cleaning up 38% YoY – average task price $181
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