Two-thirds of UK workers have turned spare hours into extra cash by selling goods, offering services, or creating content online over the past year. Fresh analysis by Uswitch broadband shows how vital broadband access has become to Britain’s ‘Superfast Side Hustles’.
With more people blending remote and office work[2], part-time online ventures have become a popular way to top up household budgets. From online sellers to freelancers and online tutors, the vast majority (94%) of these grassroots entrepreneurs depend on good broadband to facilitate their extra earnings.
Regional hotspots
Britain’s side hustle map is uneven, with some regions ahead of the average. London is the UK region with the most workers, almost 8 in 10 (78%), supplementing their main earnings with online activity. London is followed by the South West (69%) and the North West (64%).
Yorkshire and the Humber is the region where a digital side hustle is least common among working adults – more than 4 in 10 in the region (43%) have not earned any income from online activity outside their main job. Closely following Yorkshire and the Humber is the East Midlands, where 42% have not earned supplemental income online.
What the UK’s superfast side hustles look like
On average, UK workers with online side hustles made an extra £618 in the past year. Around one in seven (13%) made over £1,000 in additional income. The top side hustles UK workers are taking up for making extra money online are:
Marketplace sellers (52%): More than half earn income by selling handcrafted or second-hand items on online marketplaces
Freelance services (24%): Almost one in four are supplementing their main income with freelance services such as writing, design, coding, or online tutoring
Store operators (15%): One in six sell items online through a store they operate and run.
Broadband connections are enabling a wave of side hustles
The UK’s online side hustlers say their broadband quality is make-or-break: almost seven in ten (68%) say their internet access is essential – they couldn’t earn any of their side income without it. Over a quarter (26%) say it’s helpful – they could earn some of their side income offline, but internet access makes it easier.
Yet over a third say they’ve lost income or experienced disruption to their side hustle due to issues with their broadband connection. One in five (20%) say they have experienced delays or negative customer impact due to this, while one in six (16%) missed out on a job or other opportunity when their broadband connection let them down.
Max Beckett, broadband expert at Uswitch.com comments: “Reliable broadband is key to the wave of online side hustles being taken up by UK workers – almost seven in ten say they couldn’t earn extra cash without it. But more than a third of these side-hustlers have been let down by a bad connection.
“If you want to avoid some of those disruptions, you can try repositioning your router so it isn’t hidden away in a cupboard or blocked by any obstacles to give you a stronger connection. Make sure there are no background apps or other devices placing more demand on your connection. If you’re still facing a patchy connection, a Wi-Fi extender could be an option to boost the signal strength between your router and your device.
“If your side hustle would benefit from steadier uploads, more reliable video calls, or live-streaming, it can be worth checking for new broadband deals available to you.”
