'Gig Labor Is Here to Stay' — But Side Hustles Might Look Different in 2025. Here's What to Expect, According to an Expert. Simple, transactional tasks don't have the hold they once did.
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- About 36% of U.S. adults have a side hustle in 2024, according to a Bankrate survey.
- Taskrabbit's chief commercial officer, Christopher Ager, shares predictions for next year's gig economy.
About 36% of U.S. adults have a side hustle in 2024, and 32% of them believe they'll always need the extra work to make ends meet, according to a survey from Bankrate.
Earlier this year, experts from Gigworker.com compiled a list of the highest-earning side hustles, which include online instruction or reselling, renting space on Airbnb or offering services on Taskrabbit. The majority of side hustlers (62%) earn less than $1,000 a month, but 15% make more than $10,000 a month, a survey from NEXT Insurance found.
What will the gig economy look like as we enter 2025? And how can major players in the space support side hustlers who are starting and growing their businesses?
Taskrabbit's chief commercial officer, Christopher Ager, shared insights on the current side hustle landscape and predictions for the coming year.
According to Ager, the gig economy no longer hinges on simple, transactional tasks: It's a platform to help skilled workers in trades and creative areas scale their time successfully — which requires companies to invest in job scoping, batching and routing.
More investment for workers outside of the job is also a must. "To be competitive, companies are stepping in to make sure workers have access to benefits and perks they might miss out on, like health insurance, task insurance, savings and retirements," Ager explains.
At Taskrabbit, for example, a recent partnership with financial services company Robinhood led to a "first-of-its-kind retirement program for gig economy companies and their independent workers" that provides boosted retirement matching and financial guidance.
In 2025, Ager expects continued growth and evolution of creative-oriented side hustles versus those that are purely transactional. As a result, gig economy platforms, such as heavy hitters Fiverr and Upwork, will need to scale to support the type of jobs that "require a higher degree of creative inputs and subjectivity."
"Gig labor is here to stay, and much of this is being driven by individual's needs for flexible earning opportunities, which is why Taskrabbit continues to implement strategies that align with government policies, that increase the value and success Taskers have access to on the platform," Ager says.
