September 07, 2025

Hourly Taskmaster Rise


Hourly Taskmaster Rise

Russian state media outlet Izvestia reports an explosion in "specific assistants." According to a recent study, more than 30% of Russians have paid for quick, one-time jobs, an increase of 32% from last year.

"Specific assistants" can be hired by individuals for a range of services. Among the more unsurprising are help with cleaning the house or yard work. Others might hire a stranger to be a "friend for an hour" or to help navigate a divorce or family drama. One of the more popular, if unusual, is "test-driving a dog," where individuals can meet a dog of a specific breed before deciding to purchase one themselves.

There's money to be made through "specific assistants," too. Supporting someone going through a difficult life situation can bring in R6,500 ($80) for an hour. A day of yard work costs on average R4,200 ($51.67), and you can make R1,500 ($18.45) by being a friend for an hour.

A typical hour-long dog test-drive runs R2,300 ($28.29).

The recent increase in this kind of work has led to increasing waitlists: it can take up to a month to get service from a garden assistant, and dogs are booked out about two weeks.

Izvestia chalks the increase of this kind of work up to demographic shifts: the increasing frequency of people living alone and away from family, as well as work responsibilities that take time away from domestic obligations.

 

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