I have read a lot of Facebook posts in the jobs forums recently. Many people have lost their jobs due to the business shut down in F&B industries or some small businesses. As a consequence, many are facing financial difficulties as they don’t have incomes but still expenses, some are even having a whole family to feed. Thus I thought of writing some suggestions here to help, if you are in such a situation, to explore new income streams.

1. Search for businesses in high demand during lockdown.

During lockdown, people are reluctant or forbidden to go out and shop. Thus e-commerce platforms are facing a huge demand. In Switzerland, supermarkets online sites such as leshop.ch is facing a huge traffic and you need to wait up to 1 hour in order to start shopping for groceries, then when you do the checkout, all the available delivery dates are full. The delivery logistics of such companies are not used to the demand. Companies such as galexus.ch are hiring a lot of staff in their logistic center. Amazon recently announced to hire 100,000 employees. New businesses are emerging to provide delivering services for people who need medications, supplies and other stuff. If you meet the basic requirements and apply for the openings quickly, you will get a high chance to get that job. Those companies do not have time to waste to find the best candidates in the marketplace, they want people to join, and to keep the logistic running. So, my advice is to think about what kind of businesses would need more help when most people are ordering online now. Send them your CV, maybe you will receive some answers pretty soon.

2. Offer your services in your community

Besides looking to join a big company with logistic center, you can also post ads online to offer your services. If you get a bike or a car and free time, you can help those in your neighbourhoods to pick up groceries, medications or other household supplies. Of course, not forgetting to protect yourself against virus by taking prevention methods. If you are a good cook, you can also prepare foods, bake cakes or make some unique dishes. For example, the bakeries are all closed down, and you can make birthday cakes and deliver to customers. Any kinds of service which you can offer, could be in need by someone else. It somehow feels like back in the old times, where there are not many so-called shops. People offer services to others through word-of-mouth. And it is very much community-based.

There are a lot of Facebook groups or other online groups, where you can post there and offer your service. You can even drop some notes in the letterbox in your community.

3. Provide a service online

If your service can be offered without physical location boundaries, you can use online freelance platforms, such as fiverr.com, upwork.com and freelancer.com to advertise. Digital marketers, researchers, designers and so on are often hired on those platforms. You can browse through the categories and get some ideas. Maybe there are some services you can offer but you don’t know it yet. For example, translation, data entry, voice over …There are so many ways to make money, you need to break down the mental barrier and think beyond the usual jobs.

Lastly, reflect on how you managed your money and learn more about personal finance.

It is completely a shitty situation that you live on monthly incomes. During times like this, it is even worse. Maybe this is a lesson for you, to reflect on how you managed your money in the past and how you can improve moving forward. Watch this video to know why you need to have emergency fund.

Emergency fund can be built over the years, you just need to be disciplined and put a small amount aside every month. When a crisis hits, you are still covered.

Welcome to leave the comments on what suggestions you would give to those who are in this situation. And everyone, stay healthy!