Beyond the 9-to-5 Grind: 25 Best Side Hustles in the Philippines

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On a global scale, a significant portion of both millennials and Generation Z individuals are grappling with a tough financial reality. 52% percent of millennials and 51% of Gen Zs share their worries about making ends meet and covering their daily expenses. Zooming in on the Philippines, a similar trend is evident as 58% of Filipino millennials and 59% of Gen Zs openly acknowledge the reality of living from one paycheck to the next, accompanied by the looming concern of not being able to meet their financial obligations.[1]

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In a country where the cost of living can at times be daunting and economic opportunities can vary, many Filipinos are driven to explore alternative avenues for income generation. Side hustles have emerged as a practical and increasingly popular solution for making ends meet or improving one’s financial circumstances. But what exactly is a side hustle?

What is a Side Hustle?

A side hustle is a supplemental source of income that you can engage in alongside your regular 9 to 5 job. It involves engaging in part-time work, freelancing, or business activities to earn extra money outside of your main employment.

After taking care of important expenses like rent, food, bills, and transportation, there might not be much money left from your fixed salary. This could make it hard to address immediate financial needs and go after your aspirations. Ultimately, a side hustle allows you to have a sense of financial security and aim for a more satisfying life that goes beyond the boundaries of your primary job.

What Drives people to Engage in Side Hustles?

The motivations behind side hustles are varied and typically shaped by personal situations, ambitions, and the prevailing economic conditions. Here are some common reasons why individuals choose to pursue a side hustle in the Philippines:

• To supplement income: One of the primary reasons for side hustling is to supplement the primary income. This is especially common in situations where the main job doesn’t provide sufficient funds to cover expenses
• To get financial security and diversify income: Side hustles can offer a sense of financial security by creating an additional income stream. This can be especially important during uncertain economic times or when facing unexpected expenses.
• To pursue a passion: Many people use side hustles as a way to pursue their passions and hobbies while still earning money. This can lead to a greater sense of fulfillment and enjoyment in their work.
• To build savings and investments: Side hustle income can be directed towards building savings accounts, emergency funds, or investments, helping individuals work towards their long-term financial goals.
• To develop skills and talents: Side hustles often involve learning new skills or honing existing ones. This continuous learning can contribute to personal growth and career advancement.
• To support family: Side hustle income can be used to support family members, especially in cases where there are dependents with financial needs.
• To achieve goals: Whether it’s traveling, buying a home, or pursuing higher education, side hustle income can contribute to achieving personal and financial goals.

A side hustle doesn’t have to be something burdensome or boring. There are a lot of great side hustle ideas in the Philippines that you can begin, either offline or online. You can choose a side hustle based on your skills, interest, available time and existing resources. To help you find something that suits your financial goals, we’ve listed some of the best sideline jobs in the Philippines.

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Best offline Side Hustles in the Philippines

1. Buy & Sell

Have you ever considered using your talent for finding amazing bargains to make some extra money on the side? Buy & Sell could be a great fit for you. Think of it as a real-life treasure hunt where you can discover everything from rare toys to automobiles at low prices, and then resell them for some additional income.

You can explore thrift stores, wholesale markets, or online platforms like eBay and Carousell to find valuable items that could bring in a good profit when resold. You have the option to open a store or participate in local markets to sell what you’ve found. Whether you’re dealing with popular items or unique finds, succeeding in this side hustle means you need to always be searching for fantastic deals, using effective pricing strategies, and connecting with customers who see the worth in the items you’ve uncovered.

2. Ride-Sharing

If you own a car or motorcycle, consider a rewarding side hustle by becoming a ride-sharing driver with platforms like Grab. This opportunity involves providing rides to passengers through a mobile app, and you’ll earn a fee for each completed trip. The advantage of this side hustle is that it’s flexible – you have the freedom to pick your working hours, and during peak demand periods, there’s potential to boost your earnings significantly without compromising your primary source of income.

3. Courier/Logistics Services

Other than transporting people, you may use your vehicle to deliver goods as a side hustle. You may do this independently and establish your own client base, or you can join logistics and delivery platforms as a partner driver. With the rise of apps offering on-demand transportation of goods as their core service, you can find opportunities to deliver various items—ranging from meals and gifts to groceries and even just items that people forgot at home. Additionally, you could offer specialized services like lipat-bahay, assisting people with their house moving needs. This avenue not only taps into the growing demand for convenient deliveries but also provides a versatile way to earn through your vehicle.

4. Short-term Lodging/Home Sharing

Over the course of this year’s summer, there has been a remarkable surge in the number of Airbnb users searching for places to stay in the Philippines. This increase amounts to almost 400% compared to the same period last year.[2]

If you happen to have an additional room or property, you might want to think about putting it up for listing on platforms like Airbnb. In the Philippines, where the tourism scene is bustling and with Filipinos’ love for small private get-togethers to connect with families and friends, homeowners like you have the opportunity to generate supplementary income by hosting tourists and staycation enthusiasts. By curating a welcoming and inviting atmosphere, providing thoughtful amenities, and sharing insider tips about the area, you can effortlessly garner positive reviews and potentially secure those coveted repeat bookings.

5. Real Estate Ventures

If you have accessible properties or land at your disposal, there exist numerous options in the Philippines to explore in order to boost your income. You can utilize these to lease commercial spaces, rent out land for agricultural utilization, or offer storage solutions. By managing and maintaining these assets, real estate can evolve into a reliable avenue for creating passive income.

Alternatively, you could consider becoming a licensed real estate agent or broker, leveraging your connections in selling houses or condominium units as an additional source of income.

6. Baking

If baking is something that has long been your passion, consider transforming your culinary talents into a profitable side hustle. Converting your homemade baked delights – from delicious bread and mouth-watering pastries to exquisite cakes and delightful cookies – into marketable products can lead to a gratifying venture. By participating in community markets, engaging in events, or forging partnerships with cafes and restaurants, you’ll discover ideal platforms to showcase your culinary creations with pride while also earning additional income.

7. Crafting/Knitting/Crocheting

If you possess a knack for knitting or crocheting, there’s a wonderful opportunity to craft one-of-a-kind wearables such as cozy scarves, charming hats, and even adorable toys or home decoration such as rugs and tapestries. Handmade treasures possess a distinct charm that resonates with individuals who value artisanal craftsmanship. Consider showcasing and selling your knitted/crocheted products on various platforms like online stores, craft fairs, and even partnering with local boutiques. It’s a great way to share your talents and potentially turn them into a fulfilling side hustle job in the Philippines.

8. Upcycling

Tap on your creativity to transform forgotten or discarded items into valuable treasures. Consider the art of upcycling—breathing new life into furniture, decor, and accessories. This not only contributes positively to the environment but also presents an exciting opportunity to engage with the thriving market for distinctive, sustainable pieces. By reimagining the potential of these items and infusing them with your unique touch, you can craft items that tell a story, showcase your craftsmanship, and cater to a growing community of conscious consumers seeking one-of-a-kind, eco-friendly solutions.

9. Print-on-demand

Print on Demand (POD) involves creating or sourcing unique designs to put on various products like clothing, accessories, and home decor. You then set up an online store where customers can browse and select designs. When customers place orders for products with specific designs, a POD provider handles the production, including printing the chosen design on the item.

As a side hustle, POD offers flexibility since you can manage it alongside your regular commitments. You can create designs in your free time and gradually build your collection and earn money for every order with your design. With minimal upfront costs, it’s a low-risk way to explore your creative skills and potentially earn extra income.

10. Become a Financial Advisor

Selling insurance products can prove to be a gratifying offline side hustle option. By teaming up and training with respected insurance companies, you open the door to offering valuable financial insights and educating individuals on insurance policies. Your goal revolves around showcasing the positive impact these services can have on the lives of prospective clients and their families, empowering them to make well-suited decisions for their needs.

The role of a financial advisor offers the advantage of flexible hours, typically involving around 20 hours per week. This time is largely dedicated to engaging in meetings with potential clients. Earnings are commission-based, directly tied to an individual’s adeptness in networking, marketing, and skillfully promoting their services.

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Best online Side Hustles in Philippines

1. Virtual Assistance

Becoming a virtual assistant involves providing administrative, creative, or technical support to clients, in the comfort of your own home. This side hustle has become quite popular in the Philippines, thanks to the country’s skilled labor force with a strong command of the English language.

As a virtual assistant, you can channel your language abilities, educational background and past experiences to offer various services such as project management, customer service, content writing, email marketing, social media management and many others. With the global demand for virtual support on the rise, this side hustle not only adds to your income but also allows you to share your expertise with clients spanning the globe.

2. Transcription Services

Transcription services are needed by a wide range of people. Businesses need them for their meetings and conference notes, doctors need them for medical dictations to be translated to written reports, podcasters and content creators want transcripts of their episodes, law firms that require transcriptions of legal proceedings, and marketers for interviews and product tests. There is no shortage of transcription work and opportunities for freelance transcriptionists.

Transcribing audio and video files is a highly sought-after side job. It is also an ideal side hustle in the Philippines for students. This is largely due to the flexible schedule it offers, allowing you to work as much or as little as you like. You can get paid for all audio files transcribed, in a specified period (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly). Use your typing, listening and editing skills to earn extra money with this side hustle.

3. Content Writing

If you have a knack for writing, now is a good time to turn it into a side hustle. The demand for high-quality content is continuously on the rise, creating opportunities for talented Filipino writers to excel in crafting blog posts, articles, website content, and beyond.

Being a content writer may involve researching industry-related subjects and merging insights from online resources, interviews, and studies, or composing persuasive marketing copy to spotlight products/services. This path allows you to cater to an industry-diverse clientele, spanning local and global horizons, all seeking engaging and informative materials. As a result, you can skillfully contribute to the expanding world of content creation while earning some extra money for yourself.

4. Social Media Management

Social media management is a popular online side hustle in the Philippines. With the important role of social media in promoting businesses, there’s a growing demand for skilled individuals who can craft and schedule posts and interact with clients across various social media platforms. If you enjoy making engaging social media content, this could be the ideal part-time gig for you. Keep in mind, social media management isn’t just always about posting on business pages. You must also be updated with social media trends, effectively manage online communities, and understand how to measure the impact of your social media efforts.

5. Web/Multimedia Design

If you possess the skills and necessary tools, think about creating a portfolio for multimedia design and beginning to offer your services to make additional income. The modern digital era drives the need for designs that are eye-catching, user-friendly, and follow current trends, providing you with a lot of opportunities to showcase and improve your skills. As a side hustle, you can create logos, promotional images and videos, social media visuals, and various other visual elements for businesses. Many businesses, whether local or global, are ready to pay for your assistance in crafting visually consistent and attractive designs to meet their branding requirements.

6. Stock Photography

If you’re skilled in photography or videography, creating stock photos and videos can be a profitable way to earn extra income. Many websites and businesses frequently seek the most appropriate and the most eye-catching visuals to enhance their marketing collateral, websites, and presentations.

To start this side hustle, capture well-lit and well-composed photos with commercial value and free from copyright violations—think nature scenes, cityscapes, diverse people, objects, and food. Next is to pick a trusted stock photo platform like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Getty Images for selling your work. Stock photos can be sold with different types of licenses, such as royalty-free or rights-managed. Prices can vary based on factors like image resolution and usage rights.

7. Online Course Development and Instruction

You can start a side hustle by capitalizing on what you already know and offer your knowledge to the world. The rise of online learning platforms has opened doors for Filipinos to share their expertise and knowledge by teaching online courses. From language lessons, crafting tutorials or specialized skills training, you can create and sell courses on platforms like Udemy, Skillshare or to anyone who finds value in the knowledge that you offer. This side hustle not only generates income but also enables you to contribute to a bigger cause of educating those who are seeking to improve themselves.

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8. Music Lessons

With teaching music, you can set your own schedule and teach from the comfort of your own space, making it an ideal side hustle to fit around your main responsibilities or other activities. From guitar and piano to singing and music theory, there’s a diverse range of skills you can teach.

Aside from the extra income you can make, teaching music can also be an enjoyable side hustle for a variety of reasons. Beyond maintaining your connection with the art you love, it allows you to share your passion and knowledge with enthusiastic learners. Witnessing your students’ advancement and development is especially fulfilling, as you contribute to their musical journey.

9. Vlogging

According to the Global Digital Report by Meltwater, 55% of Filipino internet users aged 16 to 64 enjoy watching vlogs, while 64% regularly interact with tutorial or educational videos [4]. Vlogging provides a platform to share your life, interests, and knowledge, while fostering personal connections with a worldwide audience and also presents potential to earn income with the content you create.

Engaging in video content creation on platforms like YouTube, Tiktok and Facebook can prove to be a lucrative side hustle in the Philippines. Whether you’re unveiling your travel escapades, offering lifestyle advice, or delivering educational material, you may start to monetize your vlogs by first meeting each platform’s content creator criteria. These mostly involve delivering content consistently and building up a following. Potential income streams include advertisement earnings, sponsorships, merchandise transactions, and even contributions from your loyal supporters.

10. Podcasting/Live Video Streaming

It’s remarkable that nowadays, we have the opportunity to earn money by discussing the topics we’re passionate about. Hosting live video streams or launching a podcast can be an enjoyable side hustle, requiring just a computer and decent audio equipment. Platforms like Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and different podcasting platforms provide you the avenue to share your knowledge, conduct interviews, or explore subjects that you find interesting. As your audience grows, so do the potential avenues for making money, such as getting sponsorships, providing premium content, or receiving contributions from your listeners.

11. Blogging/Microblogging

In today’s digital era, sharing thoughts, experiences, and knowledge has evolved beyond mere self-expression. Blogging (creating content on your own website), and microblogging (maintaining social media channels with the aim of becoming an influencer), have emerged as practical side hustles for generating income.

Blogging and microblogging offer various ways to earn money. You can generate income through commissions by incorporating ads on your websites and pages. Additionally, you can explore affiliate marketing, where you earn when the promotions you create for a product result in sales. Once you’ve established authority within your chosen niche, you can collaborate with brands and have their products and services featured in your content. These ventures offer a means to monetize your creativity and expertise while making a valuable impact on your audience.

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12. NFT Gaming

The Philippines ranks fourth globally in NFT gaming adoption, with a quarter of players currently engaged, a number expected to rise to 40 percent by the end of 2024. [5]

NFT gaming involves the integration of non-fungible tokens into video games. These non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique digital assets stored on a blockchain, ensuring their security and transparency. If you’re a video game enthusiast with time to spare for gaming, NFT gaming could be the exciting and fruitful side hustle you’ve been searching for.

NFTs are utilized to represent in-game elements such as weapons, character appearances, and avatars. Using NFTs gives players true ownership of their in-game items, enabling secure and transparent trading of these possessions within NFT marketplaces. The play-to-earn feature allows players to earn cryptocurrency by completing tasks, quests, or missions in the games. This introduces a new way for gamers to generate income and makes gaming more engaging. By utilizing blockchain technology, players can receive cryptocurrency rewards that can be exchanged for real money, thus creating a fresh income source for gamers.

13. Online Selling

As an increasing number of consumers move from offline to online purchases, the e-commerce industry in the Philippines is expected to expand by 22.9% to reach P615.7 billion. This growth follows a rise of about 31.3% to P500.9 billion the previous year.[3]

Online shopping is here to stay and setting up an ecommerce shop to sell trending and in-demand products can prove to be a profitable side hustle. Utilizing popular e-commerce platforms or social media merchant programs, you can curate a selection of items that are popular among Filipino consumers. By incorporating smart marketing strategies and competitive pricing, you can draw in customers and drive sales. Keep your product offerings fresh by regularly introducing new items that align with current trends (ex. seasonal shifts, holidays, and viral items).

14. P2P Lending

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending platforms open up a unique opportunity to provide financial assistance to individuals or small businesses seeking support. In contrast to conventional lending where banks are the sole source of funds for borrowers, P2P lending pools money from a group of investors.

If you’re looking for a passive side job in the Philippines, you might want to consider investing your money in P2P lending platforms, as it also requires a minimum initial investment. Through this, you can earn interest from the funds you lend. Not only do you earn interest on your investment, but you also actively contribute to the growth of small businesses in the Philippines.

14. Dropshipping

Engaging in dropshipping as a side hustle involves the creation of your online store, where you can sell products without the need to stock inventory. Dropshipping works like this: when a customer makes a purchase, you simply buy the product from a supplier, who then ships it directly to the customer.

Dropshipping offers the advantage of location independence, enabling you to operate your business from any place with an internet connection. This is particularly beneficial for individuals who appreciate remote work or seek to manage a business alongside other responsibilities. Additionally, by not dealing with inventory management, you eliminate the concern of products not selling or becoming outdated. This enables you to dedicate your efforts to thoughtful product curation, developing and executing an effective marketing approach, and streamlining operations. While the potential for profit is promising, it’s equally vital to effectively handle customer expectations and make sure to find trustworthy suppliers.

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How to Pick your Perfect Side Hustle in the Philippines

Choosing the right side hustle jobs in the Philippines, requires careful consideration and alignment with your skills, interests, and goals. Here are some tips to help you make the right choice:

1. Identify your skills and passion. Consider what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. Your side hustle should leverage your existing skills or provide an opportunity to develop new ones. Choosing something you’re passionate about can also keep you motivated and engaged in the long run.
   Research market demand. Look into the current trends and demands in the Philippines. What products, services, or skills are in high demand? Conducting market research can help you identify opportunities where you can meet a need in the market.
2. Carefully assess your available time. Be realistic about the time you can dedicate to your side hustle. Some side hustles require more time and effort than others. Consider your existing commitments, such as your full-time job or personal responsibilities, and choose a side hustle that aligns with your availability.
3. Evaluate profit potential. While passion is important, you also need to assess the potential earnings of your chosen side hustle. Research the potential income you can generate and compare it to your financial goals. Keep in mind that some side hustles might take time to become profitable.
4. Consider startup costs. Different side hustles have varying levels of startup costs. Some might require an initial investment for tools, equipment, or marketing, while others can be started with minimal upfront expenses. Make sure you’re comfortable with the financial commitment involved.
5. Be flexible and open-minded: Sometimes, your initial idea might evolve as you learn more about the market and your own preferences, and that’s totally okay. Stay open to adjusting your approach and trying new things if your chosen side hustle isn’t as successful as you initially hoped.

Some side hustles demand strategic resources. From initial investments in equipment and seizing time-sensitive opportunities, make sure your ideas are backed by the financial support they deserve. We advise you to pay attention to Digido’s financial support for small businesses.

Digido is a licensed online lending company authorized by the SEC and boasts an extensive network of branches across the Philippines. The advanced financial solutions are facilitated via a completely automated online platform, guaranteeing maximum convenience.

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Final Thoughts

Each type of side hustle offers its own potential for success. Remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing the right side hustle. It’s important to align your choice with your unique strengths, circumstances, and aspirations. Take your time to research, reflect, and make an informed decision that suits your individual situation. Whichever avenue you choose, remember that consistency, dedication, and adapting to market trends are key factors in building a successful side hustle.

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Articles sources

• 1. The Deloitte Global 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey
• 2. Airbnb: PHL bookings rise anew | Roderick Abad (businessmirror.com.ph)
• 3. TE-commerce sales to grow near P1 trillion mark by 2026 | Philstar.com
• 4. Global Digital Report (meltwater.com)
• 5. Google Play opens doors to NFTs and Blockchain-based content (mb.com.ph)

Authors

Digido Financial Writers Team

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Digido Financial Writers Team is a team of experts in the field of finance and credit, specializing in writing articles for Digido blogs.

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