As of May, the unemployment in Illinois has fallen a bit to 15.2 percent. While businesses are opening up and hiring again, the job market has contracted significantly. We are here to help in your search for traditional employment, but with many people still worried about COVID-19 and possible future outbreaks, it’s a good idea to look for income generation that you can do from home. The following are five popular areas of work and places hiring or offering gigs.

1. Online Testers

Most companies need some form of testing to make sure their web presence runs smoothly. That could include website reviews, Search Engine Optimization and more. So you can get paid to test websites and search engines. Generally, companies ask for 20 to 40-minute tests of their services along with a verification video. Here are some places to find this kind of work:

2. Customer Support

Customer service either by phone, email or chat is a standby that is usually hiring. Nearly every company has some kind of support network for customers. It’s not hard to find customer service jobs, but it is hard to find good ones. Many remote positions are popping up, but many companies have a high turn over rate. Postings are available on most job sites, especially for remote work.

3. Virtual Teacher/Tutor

Before the pandemic, online tutoring was a very healthy industry, and right now, it is booming. With most classes moved online, parents and students of all ages are desperate for additional help. If you have any previous teaching experience, there has never been a better time to move into online work. What you can earn depends on your focus and skill level, but there is a service for just about every subject. Wyzant, in particular, covers everything from Guitar, French, to Real Estate licensing.

4. Copywriter

If you ever wondered who writes all the advertisements or social media postings for a company, that’s the job of a copywriter. There are a select few hourly and salaried copywriter positions and gig, and freelance prices are generally low starting out, but if you can make a name for yourself, it can increase substantially. Postings are available on most job sites, especially for remote work.

5. Translator

While most hourly translator positions require a degree, several companies may just need a quick once over. We recommend trying Gengo.

Gig/Job Sites with Remote Work

General Sites

  • Remote.co: Includes Part-time, Full-time and Salaried
  • We Work Remotely: As above, but also includes a lot of articles and tools to help remote workers
  • FlexJobs: One of the most highly regarded job sites for remote work, but requires a monthly subscription

Other Sites

  • Upwork: Gig Work
  • Snag-a-Job: Hourly Work
  • Angel.co: Start-up job postings, several for remote work
  • Glassdoor: Includes remote job postings, also allows salary/wage comparison