With all the talk of "The Great Resignation," people in New Jersey are definitely taking advantage of job openings after they quit. In the state, according to Caleb Silver, with Investopedia, New Jersey is having a nice rebound in the labor market.

"The job gains have been very strong in leisure, hospitality and accommodations, and that's where the job gains are," says Silver.

Isabela Escobar graduated in May with a political science degree from Rutgers.

“As soon as I graduated, I became unemployed,” says Escobar.

But she isn't letting unemployment stand in her way of making money. She's turned her natural talents into multiple side hustles. 

“If you're good at something, might as well get paid for it and so I grow my own plants. I dry them out, I make bundles,” says Escobar.

Lisa Vitale co-owns BarterPays in Howell.

“BarterPays acts almost like a modern-day business match maker,” says Vitale. “Instead of matching singles with other potential love interests, we match up business owners based on what one member wants to sell and what another member wants to buy.”

She says bartering can definitely help those who are unemployed too.

“We like to say cash is king, but barter is queen,” says Vitale. “If you're tight on cash and you're looking for ways to make money or get the things that you desire or that you need, bartering can be a great thing to fall back on.”

If bartering is something that you're interested in, tap into your talents. Think about a talent that could be in demand and truly exchangeable. Remember, what may come easy to you may be a chore to someone else. You also have to network as much as possible.

Escobar says she barters to get her produce at a community garden in New Brunswick. She promotes her side gig band "speak easy" on Instagram and markets her products that way, too. She turned her hobbies into cash.