A study by the Zurich Insurance Group released in January 2020 has found that 38% of respondents in Malaysia who are currently employed on a full-time basis are keen on joining what’s known as the ‘gig economy’ in the next 12 months.
For anyone still out of the loop, working in the gig economy means that you’re employed on a freelance or self employed basis that’s independent of a permanent contract.
Zurich’s findings also found that this type of work is ‘attractive’ to more individuals because of its flexible schedule, independence from employers as well as control over schedule and workload.
Think driving for Grab, or running simple tasks with GoGet, to mention a few popular options.
The rise of this economy is real, so here are 6 lesser-known Malaysian startups that are leveraging on the popularity of gig work.
1. Rtist
When it comes to well-known freelancer seeking portals, names like Fiverr or Upwork would come to mind, but Rtist eliminates the need for Malaysian employers to source talent out of the country.
Rtist is a Malaysian creative platform designed for companies to find local talent on-demand via freelance or contract based jobs.
If anything, it’s much more of a win for the freelancers who get to network and build more consistent relationships with clients right here in Malaysia.
Plus, you could get a solid footing in the local industry of your choice, where word-of-mouth is a strong way to accelerate your freelancing career.
Rtist selects creative freelancers ranging from skills in graphic design, scriptwriting, social media management, videography, and more to connect employers with a pool of people with better insight on the needs and demands of the local market.
How much you earn depends on the length of the contract and type of job you take, but you can easily find stuff that pays well over RM500/month.
2. TheKedua
TheKedua is described by its co-founder and CEO as an “online Yellow Pages.”
This startup connects you to all the players of the gig economy that are hiring in Malaysia, which essentially means it shows you available openings from dahmakan to Moovby and everything else in between.
Jobs are shown in a very Tinder-esque way, which you can swipe left or right to depending on your preference.
TheKedua is most popular with freelance designers, tutors, survey takers, and those keen on joining the e-hailing hype.
The last time we spoke to TheKedua in December 2019, they mentioned that you can earn anywhere from RM50–RM5,000/month.
3. Moola
Moola allows you to earn whilst simply driving, and you don’t even have to pick up passengers.
How? By connecting you with a brand, and allowing them to display their ads on your car.
If you’re not super fussy about how your car looks, this is a pretty ideal and hassle-free way of earning passive income.
According to Moola’s FAQ, drivers can earn anywhere from RM150-500/month. Not anything to quit your job for, but still decent enough to cover petrol costs, at least.
4. JomPaw
Having a furry baby of my own, I just had to include this on the list.
Surprisingly, I’d never come across JomPaw despite them boasting a decent following on Facebook, but you might have already heard of them.
If you haven’t, JomPaw matches busy pet parents with reliable pet sitters, where such sitters can carry out daily tasks of dog walking, training, grooming, pet taxi, and more.
To qualify as a sitter, you are required to have some basic knowledge about pet grooming and care. Of course, and this goes without saying, you need to be a total animal lover.
On their website, JomPaw states that you can earn up to RM1,000/month, but like the other options, this depends on the nature of the jobs you take.
5. TeachMe
TeachMe is an online education platform providing on-demand tutoring and online lessons.
This platform enables registered tutors to start coaching students across the country straight out of the comfort of their own homes via video call and a virtual notepad.
You can use this for a number of things, ranging from solving Maths equations, learning better English, or getting help with last-minute homework.
Of course, you need to have some educational background before you get started.
It’s cool that it still allows you to set your own hourly rates though, so you can still earn a healthy income without spending on other factors like transport to a student’s house.
Depending on the number of hours you put in, TeachMe does take a cut of anywhere from 20-30% of your total fees earned.
For an alternative, Home Tuition also has jobs available for home tutors in Malaysia.
Editor’s Update (10/10/20): TeachMe’s Facebook has not been active since June 2020, and we’ve reached out to clarify if it’s still operational. For now, we cannot confirm its status.
6. Dego
Motorcycle ride sharing service Dego was initially introduced in late 2016 but shut down its operations after only 3 months following some safety concerns brought up by the Malaysian government.
Fast forward to a couple of years later, and Dego is officially back in the game, now with official approval from the Cabinet, and looking to take advantage of the large e-hailing market in the country.
In comparison to larger names like Grab and Indonesia’s Gojek, who are also now in the motorcycle ride sharing game, Dego is definitely not quite as popular, yet is still holding its own.
According to Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq, Dego riders could earn anywhere from RM1,500 to RM3,500 monthly (although rates are not currently listed on their official website).
- You can read more about other startup features we’ve written about here.
Featured Image Credit: Dego / JomPaw
