More people with full-time jobs are discovering that a salary no longer covers the basics. Rising costs and stagnant pay have pushed employees to seek extra income just to stay afloat. What used to be a choice has become a necessity, and side hustles are turning into survival tools.
This shift means that the line between “employee work” and “independent work” is blurring fast, and demand for flexible, project-based support is only growing. Therefore, whether employee or freelancer, if you haven’t already, make yourself easy to find and easy to hire 😉
AI is replacing people in roles that are heavy in execution. However, those that require complex problem solving, strategic thinking, or influencing others remain untouched.
Workers say quiet firing is everywhere, as 73% report being pushed out in 2025. A wave of impersonal layoffs, stealth pushouts, and months-long job hunts has left workers anxious, exhausted, and increasingly convinced that employers are more willing to let technology replace them.
The world of work is undergoing a profound shift, one driven not by technology but by people. According to Eurostat, an overwhelming 90% of Europe’s six million highly skilled freelancers say they have no plans to return to permanent employment. This isn’t a passing trend; it’s a clear indicator that worker expectations have fundamentally changed, with autonomy, flexibility, and purpose now taking precedence over traditional career structures.
A recent Goldman Sachs analysis shows that more workers are embracing gig work to supplement their income than before, as a result of a cooldown in the labor market, underlying a broad slowdown.
In the current job market, one thing is abundantly clear: Stability is an illusion. Even the most established companies are facing layoffs and restructuring. Meanwhile, freelance work (once seen as a riskier, less reliable path) has proven to offer flexibility and resilience during times of change. As a result, many professionals are embracing the hybrid freelancer model: maintaining a traditional job while building a freelance business on the side.
🇬🇧 Brits are actively searching for new ways to earn extra money, with the most popular ideas seeing tens of thousands of annual Google searches. That’s according to new analysis from the team at money.co.uk business savings accounts, which has revealed that second-hand marketplace Vinted is the number one side hustle for Brits seeking to supplement their income, with 84,800 UK searches from October 2024 to September 2025.
🇦🇺 Australian workers are managing side hustles alongside their main employment without lowering their on-the-job performance, according to new research. Flexible and remote work have enabled this juggling act, as more Australians look for supplementary incomes in response to rising living costs.
🇦🇺 Safe Work Australia has published a national policy approach to workers’ compensation and the gig economy, which outlines the 5 principles to guide workers’ compensation coverage for gig workers engaged on digital labour platforms.
🇲🇾 Malaysia is expected to witness an upward trend in contract hiring next year, according to Salary Survey Malaysia 2026, conducted by global talent solutions partner Robert Walters.
Copywriting Workshop on 30 January 2026 - during this free webinar, the Reed Words team will be sharing the creative processes used when working directly with clients or in collaboration with other creative teams.
Why you might choose to remain a solo operator vs. build an agency.
How to deal with the lack of feedback, esp. good feedback.
The solopreneurship metrics you should be tracking.
5 ways to build your side hustle and double your salary - without making your boss mad.
Side hustles are not meant to be your business empire. If you want to build a business out of a side hustle, you have to be on every platform and balance customer acquisition on the platforms with customer acquisition in your own universe.
Spot the signals that you’re moving from hustling for projects to building something durable, intentional, and genuinely yours.
AI is less of a tool and more of an identity crisis. My solution? Don’t forget what brings you joy - and make space for it in your daily life 🥰
A free tool for creating your first freelance contract.
What companies look for in a fractional hire: very niche experience. Therefore, if you can identify your expertise, showcase it well, and find companies that need that exact expertise, you can be very successful in fractional management.
When Anna Burgess Yang faced brain surgery with just weeks’ notice, her three years of systematic business building became her lifeline: Her FinTech writing ran for two months without her active involvement - clients stayed engaged, content flowed, and revenue remained stable.
A dad earns £30k a month as a vintage reseller thanks to a timed auction tactic that helps him rake in up to £40 in 10 seconds. Connor Stone, 30, did not know what to do after leaving the army and started selling some of his clothes on Vinted. When he started to make £2k a month - matching his job in transportation - he quit and became a reseller full-time.
“When it comes to entrepreneurship, my superpower is all about just beginning. It’s very easy for me to start, because that’s just who I am,” says Steve Sonnenberg, the co-founder and CEO of employee rewards platform Awardco.
Doncaster mums and business owners share stories to inspire others this Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Right now, AI is flooding the world with crap. But when outcomes matter, someone has to own the choice. Machines can generate; only humans can be accountable for results.
The most valuable asset in any company isn’t a product, a dataset, or even a brilliant strategy - it’s curiosity.
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