Ben Fordham's surprising new side hustle
Ben Fordham has shared that he has joined the large group of Aussies who have picked up a side hustle as the cost of living crisis continues.
The 2GB radio host has signed up to be an Uber driver, with his first passenger leaving him a generous tip.
Speaking to business and financial commentator Peter Switzer during the Money Report on Thursday morning, Fordham confirmed he'd taken his "first passenger in an Uber."
"Wen was her name, lovely lady," he said.
"I picked her up not far from 2GB and dropped her to work and she gave me five stars and, Switz, she gave me a $3 tip."
"Mate, you're killing it," Switzer said. "That's like a 10 per cent rise for you."
"It's so good, you just switch it on and go, 'Alright, I've got an hour to kill here, I may as well make a bit of money'," Fordham explained.
He explained he decided to sign up for the gig following the record number of Australians who have taken up second jobs to help cope with inflation and growing cost of living pressures.
It was during the start of the Covid pandemic that Fordham first told Switzer he planned to "get a side hustle" along with everyone else.
"And I said I was going to become an Uber driver, and guess what I've done this week?"
"You're kidding," Switzer reacted.
Switzer, who used to work as a school teacher during a period of high interest rates, said he was also forced to take on additional work to make ends meet, creating a cleaning business and working at the local RSL where he "pulled beers."
"So I'm not surprised to see this surge in jobs," he said.
"In America, I reckon more than half of American workers have what they call a side hustle ... a second job, so lots of people are responding to inflation, responding to higher interest rates and looking for more and more jobs."
Image credits: 2GB