Holiday side jobs popular in 2024; highest among Gen Z

While traditional holiday retail hiring was down this year, more consumers are finding seasonal work like home and office decorating and gift wrapping to earn holiday cash, according to career.io, consumer surveys, and career advisors.

Career counselor Amanda Augustine said aside from earning extra pay, other benefit for those in seasonal roles is seeing the smiles of families or helping stressed consumers tackle their hectic holiday must-dos. A report from Sidehustles.com indicates that one in five Americans plan to earn extra money to cover holiday expenses, with 55% doing so to afford gifts.

Gift wrapping is a popular way for stay-at-home or work-from-home folks to earn extra cash. Augustine said for those who find joy in the meticulous art of gift presentation, being a seasonal gift wrapper could be a perfect fit. It ranks third overall in preferred holiday work.

Shandy Fuller of Fayetteville has been gift wrapping in her home for the past four years. She also operates a monogramming business that is year-round but said she typically gets more of those orders during the holidays. Fuller said she loves to wrap gifts and some of her clients asked her to wrap gifts several years ago and now it’s become a secondary business.

Decorating for the holidays can also be stressful which leads to job opportunities for entrepreneurs like Lesley Davis of Richardson, Texas. She has been decorating homes for the holiday for several years. The business started through a gig-work app known as TaskRabbit. Davis said she will decorate around 25 homes for the holiday season. Those jobs range from one-day to multiple weeks depending on the client’s needs.

“I began decorating trees when I worked my corporate job. I decorated our trees for the offices. So when I saw clients needed help after I became self-employed I was glad to do it. This part of my business has grown substantially over the past four years. It also includes some gift wrapping, shopping for holiday decor and even hosting holiday events,” Davis said.

Davis said the money is good and she enjoys the creative outlet these jobs provide her. Davis and her partner RaKasha Hall share some corporate jobs where they decorate offices and staff the parties which include setting up and cleaning up.

TaskRabbit job posts indicate typical pay for a holiday decorator depending on experience ranges between $15 and $30 per hour. While TaskRabbit is not an option in Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding area there are other seasonal job opportunities. Career.io notes playing Santa Claus at private events or taking holiday photos for families can also provide consumers with a way to earn and spread cheer.

Some retailers are still advertising for seasonal help such as Finish Line, Bath & Body Works, and JCPenny at Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville, according to ZipRecruiter. In Rogers, Burlington Stores, Kohl’s, At Home and Game Stop are some of the retailers in Northwest Arkansas wanting seasonal help. In Fort Smith, Kohl’s, Boot Barn, Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works are also advertising for seasonal help.

Side hustles are popular with younger consumers. Bankrate.com said 36% of U.S. adults have a side hustle this year. Among Generation Z (ages 18-27), 48% already have a side job and the main reason is they make extra money to cover the cost of living. Also, 44% of Millennials (ages 28-43) and 33% of Generation X (ages 44-59) seek seasonal jobs. Among baby boomers (ages 60-78), 23% have a side job in 2024.

“Side hustles are a little less common this year than they were last year, but many Americans are still finding that one job isn’t enough. The cost of living has risen sharply in recent years,” said Ted Rossman, senior analyst at Bankrate.com.

He said consumers have found they can boost their income between $500 and $891 per month on average with side hustle work all year. He said 52% of U.S. side hustlers have held second jobs for two years or less.