Dec 12, 2021

Question of the Day: What are the most popular ways for people to earn money through online gig platforms?

Answer: 

  • Deliveries from restaurant or store
  • Household tasks or running errands
  • Driving for ride-hailing app
  • Shopping for or delivering groceries 

Questions:

  • 30% of 18-29 year olds have earned money on these gig platforms. What do you think are the main reasons they do? 
  • Do you think you might ever earn money this way. Why or why not? 
  • What are the pros/cons of doing this type of gig work? 

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Pew Research): 

When it comes to specific types of jobs, about one-in-ten or fewer adults have ever earned money in each category. Some 7% say they have made deliveries from a restaurant or store for a delivery app, 6% have performed household tasks or ran errands via a gig platform and 5% have driven for a ride-hailing app. Small shares also report ever shopping for or delivering groceries or household items (4%) or using a personal vehicle to deliver packages to others via an app or website (3%). And among the 4% who indicate they have done something else to earn money from these types of mobile sites or apps, the most common type of work mentioned is completing surveys, online tasks or other research activities.

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Check out NGPF's new search tool to see other resources focused on the gig economy. 

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About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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