Finding a job or making extra cash is easy thanks to the new sharing economy

WHETHER you like cat sitting or car driving the sharing economy has a job for you and often require little or no training.

Sarah Marks who is a delivery driver for Sherpa for a moneysaverHQ story. Sherpa is a deivery service simiar to Uber, but insead of delivering people to their destinations, Sherpa picks up and delivers items to people. Picture: Eugene Hyland

THE success of Uber and Air BnB have spurned an array of new businesses designed to make the most of under used resources.

They have also generated employment opportunities for people who have struggled to find work or are looking to supplement their existing income.

Whether you’re a freelancer, retiree, have started your own business and need help keeping afloat or you’re out of work looking for a new permanent role, there is now a wide variety of ways to make some extra money and put your car, garage or empty room to work.

AirBnB is now famous as a place to make money by renting out your house or spare room but spacer.com.au is a site that connects people who have some extra space with others who need some storage.

Animal lovers can become pet sitters with madpaws.com.au or clean houses without being locked into a contract with helpling.com.au.

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Sherpa driver Sarah Marks says the role requires minimal skills. Picture: Eugene Hyland

Music producer Sarah Marks spends a lot of time working from home at her computer so was attracted to the idea of having a part-time job that got her outside.

She signed up as a personal courier with sherpa.net.au.

“It’s an easy process to start working for Sherpa,” Marks says. “It requires a minimal amount of skill so it’s something that’s open to a broad range of people.”

She says she was able to start working within a day of signing up and was paid within a week.

Sherpa drivers only need to have a car, motorbike or pushbike, ABN, drivers license, profile picture and a 15 minute induction then they can hit the road.

Sherpa, which started less than a year ago, has already attracted 6,000 drivers including students, mothers and retirees.

Marks says she averages about three deliveries a day, often from florists, but her cargo could be just about anything.