Jobs Post COVID: Are People Opting For Multiple Gigs Now?

Jobs Post COVID: From the time the virus has been declared a global pandemic, it has affected our finances in multiple ways. People started losing their jobs and fresh graduates began their looking for ways to start off their career. With the economy facing a decline in the job sector, job seekers found it difficult to land permanent opportunities. So, they resorted to freelancing and opting multiple part time jobs to earn a living. We spoke with five women asking them about their COVID-19 earning. Their stories tell us how it has been difficult for them to make both ends meet in these trying times.

Jobs post COVID-19: students decided to take charge of expenses

"When the pandemic hit, the prices of basic stuff went up and my parent's business went down because of the lockdown. Eventually, they migrated to online orders but it was difficult to sustain the expenses of online education when the teachers didn't cooperate," said Shriya Sarang, a student of Architecture. "The expensive stationary and models were required and hence, I decided to freelance with the English Content Writing skills I had. Initially, I got scammed by an employer as they went silent on payday and never responded. But later on, I got the hang of filtering the genuine offers," she added.

Sarang then started an internship with a feminist organisation. Additionally, she started working at a children's blogging page so that she could make up the extra income to sustain through her studies during the pandemic. However, she would prefer a full-time job once things get better instead of juggling many at one time. "I also studied the stock market and started a side-income there. Overall, I feel doing many jobs at once was the need of the hour but it definitely leads to a stressful lifestyle," she further said.

Turned us into multitaskers!

Pooja Trivedi (Name changed on request) worked with a PR firm while she was pursuing her MBA. However, the payment she received meagre payment and found it difficult to manage her expenses. "My father's business suffered tremendous loss and I didn't earn enough to support him. So I decided to return to my previous internship and help them with their tasks. Handling both sides along with devoting time to my studies became hectic but I believe that was the need of the hour."

Teachers suffered a lot and we know that

"I am a teacher at a coaching institute. When the pandemic hit us, the management made a 30 per cent cut in our salary," said Nandini Poddar (Name changed on request). To keep up with her expenses, she took up freelance copywriting as a part time job. Despite minimal salary, she could keep up with her expenses. "I lost some money in the share market during the pandemic so I made a point to learned trading. The acquired knowledge helped me invest my savings in few good shares which are expected to give good returns in the coming years. The pandemic taught me to  not to depend on a single income source and putting all the eggs in the same basket is never a good idea," she added.

Ankita Pandey, an SME of Geography said, "I believe that the pandemic has hit financial status of every individual. I am working as a SME of Geography, as well as teaching in an institute, as a part time teacher. Besides, I also give private tuitions to students. With the increasing rise in prices, it has become quite difficult to survive with one job. So I have to do multiple jobs for surviving in the present situation."

Content writing, a path chose by many for COVID-19 earning

Before the pandemic, Nikita Jain (Name changed on request) was only giving private tuitions to primary school students. But now she is working as a freelance content writer as well. "As the pandemic hit the world, it is tough to find a suitable job as many of the companies have cut the number of employees. I chose to try content writing because I believe I had the skills required for the work. But keeping pace with both the jobs becomes tiring. I am hoping to find a permanent placement soon," she further added.

Suggested readings:

How Coronavirus Changed My Life: A Freelance Journalist Shares

Want To Embrace The Freelance Life? Here’s What You Should Know

Financial Planning For Freelancers & People With Irregular Income