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With the festive season close at hand, demand for winter side gigs is on the rise, according to services platform Taskrabbit, with some tasks paying over $50 an hour. Starting at the end of October, Taskrabbit experiences a spike in requests for services like cleaning and decorating, says Chris Ager, the company's chief commercial officer. "Winter is just a very busy season for our clients," Ager says. "We call it 'hosting season' internally, where friends and family are coming over and they need help getting the house in order." Hiring gig workers around the holidays can help people manage "the things that they just don't have the time to do when they're managing a busy work and family life," he continues. The season also brings an influx of new workers joining the company as Taskers, according to Ager. Picking up a holiday side gig allows full-time workers to earn some extra cash while maintaining flexible hours. "There's a lot of people that are looking to earn a bit more income around the holidays to pay for what is a pretty expensive season," he says. Based on Taskrabbit's data from 2024, these are the most in-demand, highest-paying winter side gigs. Holiday cleaning Requests for holiday cleaning services went up by 26% last year, according to Ager. Cleaning is "a really big category" on the platform in general, Ager says, and many people need extra help getting their homes ready for the holidays, especially if they're expecting guests. Holiday cleaning can be a consistent, well-paid side hustle, Ager says, and the average hourly rate is $44, according to Taskrabbit. Hanging holiday lights Decorating your home with holiday lights often requires a "unique skill set," not to mention the appropriate equipment, Ager says. That's why many homeowners hire gig workers to make their houses and trees twinkle for the holidays — and they pay an average hourly rate of $49, according to Taskrabbit. Last year, there was a "huge, huge spike" in demand for help with holiday lights, Ager says: requests doubled year-over-year, and Taskrabbit continues "to see a lot of client interest." Running holiday-related errands Requests for holiday-related errands grew 17% in 2024, according to Taskrabbit. Errands are a perennially popular category on the platform, Ager says, but many clients reach out with holiday-specific requests toward the end of the year. "We see really unique errands requests, ranging from delivering a Christmas tree to a house, to going to shops to get new toys that are coming out before they get sold out," he says. Taskrabbit's average hourly rate for holiday errands is $32. Waiting in line Last year, line-waiting jobs grew 18% year-over-year, according to Taskrabbit's data. Clients often use the service to secure new toy and tech product releases from stores, Ager says. He's also seen an increase in people using line-waiting services to nab reservations at in-demand restaurants. For workers who are willing to spend some time standing in line to earn extra cash, the average hourly rate on Taskrabbit is $27. TV mounting Requests for TV mounting increased 14% in 2024, Ager says. Demand for this service typically spikes in winter because clients are finally tackling home projects that they may have put off earlier in the year. "Summer is just so busy with sports and travel and being out of the home, that a lot of the things that they need to do around their home get deprioritized," he says. "[They] really only become a priority again when the holidays come around and they're hosting people." Since it requires a specific set of skills, this gig is particularly lucrative for workers: the average hourly rate for TV mounting is $52, according to Taskrabbit. Want to level up your AI skills? Sign up for Smarter by CNBC Make It's new online course, How To Use AI To Communicate Better At Work. Get specific prompts to optimize emails, memos and presentations for tone, context and audience. Plus, sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success at work, with money and in life, and request to join our exclusive community on LinkedIn to connect with experts and peers.
