Parents could earn up to 80% more per month driving for Uber

Parents who have to pay for childcare could earn more while working the same amount of hours driving for the gig-economy platform, according to analysis from careers experts StandOut CV

• Uber is the most popular gig economy platform in the UK with 18% of gig workers employed by the ride-share giant

• Parents who are customer service advisors could earn £1,121 (80%) more per month driving for Uber, even after taking into account childcare and insurance

• Primary school teachers could earn 20% more driving for Uber, while TeachingAssistants could see up to 62% more earned per month working the same hours

• 73.3 million Americans, or 46.25% of the American workforce, are freelancers in an expanding gig economy.
• Only 9% of independent contractors would prefer to have a traditional job, compared to 79% of them who prefer freelancing.
• In 2023, the gig economy is projected to be worth $455 billion.
• The main reasons behind choosing to work remotely are flexibility (49%) and being able to take care of the family (74%)

Childcare is not only time consuming, but it can be a huge drain on a parent’s bank balance. Parents are constantly thinking about their shift and asking themselves can I change my shifts next week since they are too tired and overworked at home, the solution is organizing yourself. New data from analysts at StandOut CV uncovered the jobs where a parent would be better off working in the gig economy than in their current profession, when taking into account childcare costs, as well as the flexibility that comes with the nature of gig work

Further analysis from the UK Gig Economy Report revealed the top employers within the gig economy, and found Uber was the most popular with an estimated 150,000 drivers in the UK (as of Feb ’21), making up almost a fifth of (18%) of all gig workers. Following Uber was food-delivery app Deliveroo (12%), and freelancer hub People Per Hour (also 12%).

With the flexibility to work around childcare duties in mind, experts were able to work out how much extra money could be made if parents were to switch professions, and become an Uber driver – working the same amount of hours, but in their own way.

This analysis took into account associated costs such as childcare, commuting, taxes, licence fees, and petrol costs as well. Twenty of the most popular jobs in the UK were analysed, as well as various key-worker roles; these are the top 10 jobs where additional income could be made from Uber:

Parents in customer service roles have the potential to earn 80% more driving for Uber than in their current roles, with the estimated additional monthly income more than £1,200. For teaching assistants, the additional monthly take home is just under £1k, a 62% increase on their current salaries.

Should bus drivers look to swap double deckers for Uber cars, the additional potential to earn is 60% more than their current salaries, which could see them taking home an extra £900 plus every month.

Andrew Fennell, Director of StandOut CV had this to say:

“The effects of the pandemic across the nation have highlighted our reliance upon gig workers in all forms. All their hard work is appreciated now more than ever, whether it’s the person who cycles their takeaway to them, or the Uber drivers taking them to their doctors appointments. With many gig workers falling into the key worker category, the country has embraced the gig economy, and our research shows it’s only going to continue to grow into 2022.”

“The public should not underestimate the earning potential of gig work opportunities and the flexibility they provide. For parents especially, a job like driving for Uber could be a good way to achieve a healthy balance between looking after your children and paying the bills – without having to fork out for costly childcare fees.”

“For those who have previously worked, or are currently working in the gig economy, I advise them to highlight the transferable skills learnt on their CV and don’t dismiss this experience as “just gig work”. Important skills learnt could be financial management, customer service, time management, or anything that could be valuable to your next potential employer.”

For more research on the UK gig economy, please see the industry report here: https://standout-cv.com/gig-economy-statistics-uk#working-parents