Side hustles are changing: Australians like Cassie are doing it out of financial necessity, not for 'fun money'

Exclusive: Melbourne woman Cassie Walker started selling her old clothes online as a way to "make quick cash when times are tough".

New research shows she's not the only one.

It's estimated that millions of Australians have recently picked up a side hustle to cope with financial pressure in the cost-of-living crisis.

One in four Aussies currently have a side hustle according to an Omnisend survey , and more than three-quarters of them started out of financial need – not for "fun money".

Almost 50 per cent started within the last 12 months.

Most spend up to 10 hours on their side hustle per week.

But only one in five make more than $1000 per month (around $250 per week).

It doesn't sound like much but Aussies are collectively earning an extra $14.3 billion per month from