Australia ranks as one of the best countries in the world to sell your skills on the side, according to new analysis.
With an average of $766 earnings per job, Australia is the third highest-paying country in the world, just behind Switzerland and Sweden, when it comes to completing work on freelance marketplace Fiverr.
Online design platform Canva analysed the site across 50 different skillsets to find the earning potential of different creative industries online in 37 OECD countries.
The data comes after a transformative year for work globally.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions saw unemployment numbers soar in countries across the world, with many falling into the gig economy to see them through.
The subsequent recovery meanwhile saw nearly two in every three jobs created being casual ones, as employers and businesses avoided adding permanent numbers to their payrolls.
While Australian politicians argue over the legal status of gig workers, a growing number of Australians are considering freelance or contract work.
The analysis has plenty of insights into the kind of work being offered online.
The highest-paid side hustles in Australia
When it comes to the highest-paid jobs on average, there are two clear front runners when it comes to short-term jobs.
The first is 2D and 3D modelling work, which for projects spanning three days or less, pays an average of $126.
The average proofreading and editing job meanwhile pays $121, making it the only other niche to pay in three-figures.
Australians offering SEO services helping websites rank higher on search engines meanwhile can expect an average payday of around $86, while the next ranked positions of website designers and illustrators tend to attract rates of just half that.
3D and 2D modelling ranks as the best paid job on both an average and maximum basis.
None of that seems particularly high considering the number of hours some projects may demand. Then again, freelance marketplaces tend to pay less than what professional freelancers generally receive.
Canva also examined what the top earners in each profession stood to make. The difference in pay is significant.
Those doing 3D and 2D modelling can rake in up to $650 per project, or five times what the average Australian modeller was charging. Top SEO freelancers meanwhile are making around $350 per gig, or four times the average.
In fact, most of the best freelancers in the top 10 professions tended to earn around four times the average with one key exception. In-demand proofreaders and editors only manage to make 50% more than the average, owing perhaps to an oversupply of workers.
According to Canva, there are more editors on Fiverr than any other profession with nearly 280 of them competing for work on the site.
They are followed by video editors, illustrators, social media advertisers and animators.
Unsurprisingly, 2D and 3D modellers are comparatively few and far between with less than 60 on the site which may explain why they also demand the highest paid jobs.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of completed jobs has increased by 6.5%, with the greatest growth seen for business card designers, photoshop editors, and coders.
For many though, the data shows that while side hustles might be a useful source of income, most projects aren’t an adequate replacement for a permanent role.
This article was originally published on Business Insider Australia.
