As the festive season approaches, Americans are already beginning to feel the financial strain of meeting the costly demands of the holidays. Most workers are swiftly realizing that their salaries alone cannot accommodate their desire to provide gifts for their loved ones host parties, and enjoy the festivities.

So what are they doing about it?

Americans are scrambling to find flexible work options to supplement their income. In fact, seven in 10 full-time workers are planning to undertake seasonal part-time jobs and side gigs in addition to their main job, so they can cover the expenses of the winter holidays, a new survey of 1,250 U.S. workers by Resume Templates reveals.

About 37% of workers intend to spend about a maximum of $1,000 over the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, while 41% expect to splash out between $1,000 and $3,000 for the holidays. Such a major expenditure within a short period is likely to make them fall out of pocket and resort to credit card usage if they are unable to secure part-time work.

However, looking ahead to next year, the survey indicates that this is a symptom of a larger trend. Professionals are projecting that they will need to continue to take on extra work to supplement their income, with “53% of workers say they will definitely (19%) or probably (34%) need to take on extra work,” the survey results show.

About 40% of workers agree that taking on this extra work for the holiday period will most likely impact their productivity at work, but they are still doing it anyway, which is most likely attributed to the fact that work demands at their main jobs can tend to slow down in the holiday period, requiring less commitment on their part—depending on the role of course.

Top 8 Part-Time Jobs In 2024

So what are the top part-time jobs that workers are turning to, to boost their income and accommodate their holiday budgets?

1. Delivery Services

Of course, as the weather in many parts of the country gets colder, most people would find that going out to the store is less appealing, and would rather order necessities and food items online than go to pick it up themselves. This includes take-outs.

Forbes3 Fully Remote Part-Time Jobs That Pay Up To $90 An Hour In 2024By Rachel Wells

2. Retail Seasonal Part-Time Jobs

Over busy periods such as the holidays, retail outlets ramp up their operations and prepare to hire seasonal workers to ensure they can keep pace with the demand during the holidays, especially for roles in customer support and managing stock.

3. Freelancing

If you have an in-demand skill such as graphic design, video editing, consulting, software and app development, writing, or social media marketing, you can offer your services on gig platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork and land projects quickly. Who knows, you might even be asked to get involved on an exciting marketing project for a Christmas-themed digital marketing campaign.

4. Ridesharing

Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft are popular in metro areas and cities, and tend to experience high demand in the holidays. You can make money as a driver, taking customers to events and festive parties during this time, right from the app.

5. Pet-Sitting

If you have experience with dogs or have pets of your own, why not offer a pet-sitting service and join platforms such as Rover? It’s highly likely that families going abroad or visiting friends and loved ones out-of-state will need someone to keep an eye on their furry companions, so you may notice peak demand over the next few months.

6. Social Media

In addition to taking on a part-time job in running social media marketing campaigns for the holidays, there are other ways to make money, especially if you have a large following on any of your social media accounts. If you have thousands of followers and strong engagement, you can turn this into cash through joining pay-out incentives and creator programs hosted by the respective platform, or using affiliate marketing or private memberships and groups to make money through providing something of real value to your fans.

7. Restaurant Part-Time Jobs

Restaurants are great places to find seasonal part-time work as they receive greater foot traffic from diners during the Christmas holiday period, due to corporate events and parties.

8. Babysitting

For parents looking to get in some last-minute festive shopping, or for those attending holiday functions and events including corporate Christmas parties, offering babysitting services can be a great way to make extra money.

Having prior experience working with children, a first-aid certification, and any relevant childcare training or courses will help you establish credibility and trust with parents, in addition to undergoing background checks.

Taking on part-time jobs, especially in freelancing and other trending independent services, enables you to have greater flexibility in your life and career. When the festive period swings round the corner, you won’t feel caught out and stuck in a financial emergency because your side hustles are diversifying your income and giving you a comfortable cushion to fall back on when necessary. These gigs make life a little less stressful and should ultimately be part of your long-term solution for career and financial resilience.