Gig Economy
When I first heard the term gig economy it sounded like it could be the economy for performers or a band. “Gig” gave me the sense that it would be a job such as a band performing live music at a bar for a night or whatever the case. Once I learned what the gig economy was I realized my original thought wasn’t too far off. The gig economy is defined as a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. So contractors and freelancers get hired for short term engagements to do whatever it is that the company is hiring them for.
How to Thrive in the gig economy
Before researching to learn how to be successful in the gig economy, I brainstormed what I thought was important for people in the gig economy.
- Be good at what you do
- offer a service others can’t
- be consistent with the quality of work being done
I figured if you offered a service that you could provide well another business will want you back or will refer you to others that need work done. Having a strong skill set that others don’t is also an advantage for a business when hiring short time because it can help benefit a company positively. The Harvard business review is the site i looked at after my own idea. The four most important connections it says to have to thrive in the gig economy is
- People
2. purpose
3. place
4. Routine
Platforms for Gig Economy
After learning what the Gig economy was and what is important about it I decided to research a little more to find out exactly where you would go for jobs in the gig economy. Looking at the small business trends website, it listed over twenty platforms that you could use when it comes to looking for work in the gig economy. These platforms are also useful if you are a business looking to use a platform to hire people in the gig economy.
The Gig economy present and future
According to Forbes, the gig economy currently makes up 34% of the workforce and by the year 2020 which isn’t too far away is expected to make up 43% of the workforce. This number is almost half of the people that are in the workforce currently. This shows how important the gig economy really is as you can tell by the large number of people currently working in it, and the even higher number predicted to be working in the gig economy in the future. Today we are seeing more people working in the Gig economy than ever before, and it continues to keep on growing into the future.
Jobs In Gig Economy
After learning about what the gig economy is, discovering platforms to find jobs in the gig economy, and learning where it stands in the present and future, I decided to look a little closer at jobs. On the entrepreneur site, it shows ten of the top paying jobs in the gig economy. Seeing how high paying certain skills are in the gig economy really shows the opportunity people have.
Wrap-Up
Today we talked about the gig economy and what it is and the people who work in it. Next I discussed tips to thrive in the gig economy along with tips from the Harvard business insider. After discussing tips I moved on to talk about platforms in the gig economy and what sites to use for more information. To finish up I discussed the present and future of the gig economy and the jobs that are available that pay the best.
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