With more UK businesses returning to the office full time and hybrid working predicted to fizzle out in the next few years, many Brits are using their skills to scrap the 9-5 working day and enjoy a flexible work-life balance to make ends meet.
Today, local services marketplace Airtasker champions some of these Brits as they reveal the five winners of the annual Top Tasker Awards for 2024.
Airtasker UK’s 2024 Top Taskers
The awards celebrate skilled Taskers who use the platform to earn extra cash in their spare time or as their main source of income, consistently going above and beyond to deliver outstanding service to the community.
Alison Goldsmith, 58 (Essex)
While caring for her 94-year-old father, Alison Goldsmith, 58, from Essex, was unable to work and, through word of mouth, came across Airtasker in February 2024.
Alison started with a couple of tasks when she had the time, but after her father had sadly passed, she picked Airtasker back up to help pay off some debts she had accrued due to caring.
She had been self-employed for over 25 years, working in marketing and retail, and is also a trained counsellor, so she had become hugely multiskilled over the years and loved meeting and helping people.
She said, “The wide variety of tasks is great. I love that I don’t have to do the same job all the time, and my favourite thing is helping people. It is so rewarding to know you have helped someone and made their life just a little bit easier.”
Alison picked up more tasks on Airtasker from September 2024, and it is currently her primary source of income, earning over £6K from tasks ranging from removals, gardening, decluttering & organising, pick-up & delivery, and helping at events. She even made an adult-size Oogie Boogie costume for someone who loves Halloween.
“Most people live around their five-day working week, but I’m able to fit my work around my life and whatever else I have going on. Airtasker has been a godsend, and I love the fact that even on the day, I can find a task if I want.”
Alison has a 5-star overall rating with incredible reviews from grateful customers. One particularly memorable task involved Alison helping a family transport and set up their ‘Candy Cart’ for a Christmas event. The customer’s review reads, “Alison is someone who doesn’t work with you as a business but more of a family… Such a great human being.” They were so grateful for her help, and she now has a great relationship with them.
Alison recently helped out at a party so the host could spend time with her guests instead of doing all the catering and cleaning up. The host was impressed with her work ethic and skills and will now look at other projects on which they can collaborate.
Alison would like to encourage older people, especially women, to use their skills and help others. Airtasker’s flexibility means that even carers and single mothers could complete a couple of tasks a week around their responsibilities, and it could really help.
It could also help mothers wanting to get back into the workplace after raising a family and older people who may have been out of the workplace for a while. They have many skills to offer, and Airtasker would be a way to build up their confidence and CV again.
Hamid Ali, 26 (Southall)
With a degree in Agriculture, Hamid moved to the UK from Pakistan in July 2023 with a dream to start his own business. Starting with some self-promotion through leafleting, Hamid wasn’t achieving much business. He then heard about Airtasker through a friendly stranger he kept bumping into on the train and signed up in February 2024.
Hamid started with just £80, of which he brought a second-hand lawnmower and scissors, and completed his first Airtasker task, which earned him £40. The next task earned him £100, and then month by month, he would buy new equipment, and his brilliant reviews kept growing. Hamid has now completed almost a hundred tasks, from landscape designs, decking, and pergola structures to garden maintenance, weeding, and pruning, and now even has an employee.
“I was so grateful to have come across Airtasker. So many apps require you to pay, and I didn’t have money to spend, but Airtasker was easy to use with no upfront payment. I could just get started right away! I am now my own boss, which I have always dreamed of.”
Hamid’s entrepreneurial spirit has led him to huge success. Thanks to Airtasker, he has earned around £50,000 since February. His expertise and passion for plants and agriculture win over his clients, who leave him 5-star reviews.
“People trial small jobs with you first, which is a good way to prove your skillset, and then the requests grow. One lady hired me for a £100 job. Next thing, I’m completely renovating her garden! Now, she’s like family.”
“It would be a completely different story for me if I hadn’t come across Airtasker. I couldn’t recommend it enough; it is a safe platform for both Tasker and customer.”
Kaz Prakash, 27 (Hitchin)
As a teenager, Kaz had an interest in fixing electronics as a hobby, which led him to later become a car mechanic, where he developed his skills. In 2021, Kaz moved to the UK from Madrid and tried to follow up his car business from Spain. In the process, he created some interest in repairing restaurant catering equipment.
In May 2024, while on a tube, Kaz spotted an advert for Airtasker and signed up to experiment as he had always liked to be his own boss. He started off with a random task of cleaning a fish tank for £50, and when Kaz realised how easy the process was and the amount of opportunity in the marketplace, he dove right in.
Kaz found quick success on Airtasker by completing electrical repair tasks, and his reviews and ratings rapidly grew. Since joining, he has completed over 200 tasks, and in his best month, he earned a whopping £7K. On average, he earns around £3.5K a month, completing a few tasks a day.
It’s not all about the money, though. For Kaz, the reward of helping others is also very important. He said, “Helping people is something I love to do. When I walk in, and something’s broken, and when I leave, it’s fixed, and I have a smiling customer, that moment brings a lot of internal satisfaction.”
“Times are tough, and it’s not easy for everyone, so knowing I have the skills and access to resources to help people, I do what I can”, he continues.
Kaz has also spotted a high demand for things some people can’t live without, including coffee. “There is a high demand for coffee repairs on Airtasker, which I’ve found has been lucrative, as people just can’t start the day without a cup of coffee!” As well as coffee machines, Kaz has developed his skills in repairing treadmills, which he also finds a demand for in Airtasker.
Kaz now uses Airtasker to grow his business and source clients. “I’ve always wanted to be my own boss. I love the freedom and flexibility of Airtasker, and I have no pressure. I can work when and as much as I want.”
James Smith, 33 (Stanstead)
After working in the City in Tech Sales, James just didn’t enjoy working under other people and longed to be his own boss. After being a carer for his mum, who sadly passed away during lockdown, James decided he wanted freedom from work.
James had a truck and started looking into ways he could earn money using the skills and assets he already had.
Starting on other task sites, James quickly found he would do big jobs for a low rate. Then, in August 2022, he came across Airtasker while Googling task websites.
James started picking up rubbish clearance tasks. Once the 5-star reviews came in, these smaller tasks began to snowball into bigger jobs he could do, such as gardening. He had a lawnmower and borrowed a hedge trimmer from his girlfriend’s stepdad.
Then winter came, and he found his opportunities were slowing down a bit, so he needed to find other ways to earn some income. Seeing the huge number of tasks that required carpentry skills, James decided to do a carpentry course to upskill. He took 8 weeks off last year and earned a City and Guilds Carpentry Level 3 and Site Carpentry.
“I would never have pushed myself and realised the opportunity to upskill and make my own income if I hadn’t joined Airtasker. It has given me so much freedom, and being able to earn what I want when I want is the best thing for me. When you could earn £20 on a 5–10-minute task, it’s a no-brainer.”
Today, James completes a variety of tasks, from gardening, removals, and flat packing to demolition jobs, flooring, carpentry maintenance, and end-of-tenancy jobs, doing a maximum of three tasks a day.
On average, James can earn around £3K a month from Airtasker tasks alone, which has helped him buy a new house and cope with the rising cost of living and increasing electricity bills.
“It has been such a relief not having to wait for a payday, and knowing I can just wake up and find a task for £150 on the day is amazing, especially when trying to buy a house! The work-life balance works perfectly for me now, and I can take a day off whenever I need.”
John Odiaka, 27 (Coventry)
John came across Airtasker following a family member’s recommendation who regularly used the local service marketplace.
He completes an array of tasks, including furniture assembly jobs, handyman work, gardening, decorating, and cleaning.
He takes on as many tasks as possible within his vast skillset and has an incredible 5-star rating from very satisfied customers.
John currently uses Airtasker as his main source of income and full-time job, earning up to £2,000 on a good month, which has been a crucial source of financial support for his rent and bills.
During peak times, such as the pre-Christmas season, John experienced surges in earnings and tried to make the most of seasonal surges in demand on the app. On average, he completes about three tasks a week and can handle up to three daily furniture assembly jobs during busy periods.
“I prefer Airtasker to a full-time job because you can work on your own time,” he shares. For John, Airtasker has been more than just a job platform – it has also opened doors to new opportunities and connections. He enjoys building relationships with clients and widening his customer base, often being rebooked for future tasks. One memorable moment was when he impressed a client by assembling a wardrobe quickly and efficiently.
John has recommended friends and family members to sign up as a Tasker on Airtasker. “There’s a job for everyone,” he says. “You can do anything, from IT to engineering or handy jobs.”
“It’s a great way to earn if you commit and grow your reviews,” he says. “There are always loads of tasks, and you can connect with amazing clients who appreciate hard work. I recommend it to anyone with a skill or some spare time to see how much they could earn.”
An increase in Tasker sign-ups
Airtasker has allowed Brits juggling a difficult economic climate to use the platform to make extra cash through a side hustle or a stepping stone into the world of entrepreneurship and working flexibly for themselves.
In 2024, Airtasker saw a 3,000% uplift in Tasker sign-ups and a 928% increase in customer sign-ups, with Brits eager to boost their income by monetising their skills and managing their money on their own agenda.
The most productive month on the marketplace was October, with the most offers made on the app, followed by August, with more than 21,000 offers made on posted tasks by Taskers.
Brits looking to utilise their current skills and switch to a flexible working life can use Airtasker’s Side Hustle Calculator, a tool to help estimate someone’s potential earnings by completing certain tasks a week.
Airtasker Founder and CEO Tim Fung added, “Airtasker’s annual awards are all about recognising and rewarding Taskers for their skills, and it’s amazing to see that more people are using the platform as their main source of income and starting their own businesses.
In 2024, Airtasker grew in the UK as we launched in Manchester and Birmingham, where we welcomed many more individuals to take on flexible work to earn extra money. It’s great to see winners from across the UK recognised for their skills and taking charge of their work-life balance.
Each of our Top Taskers won over their clients with their craftsmanship, positive attitude, and excellent customer service, from landscape gardening, costume creation and treadmill repair. We can’t wait to see what lies ahead for them and hope they inspire others to use their skills and have a more flexible lifestyle.”