The gig economy is an economy where companies contract employees for work and
they are entirely independent of the company or organization. An example of this
would be uber or lyft drivers being independent contractors. Technically they are
representatives of uber or lyft but not actual employees and do not receive benefits.
Another example of this could be the travel nursing industry. Hospitals or healthcare
organizations contract nurses for a short period of time to work in their different
departments. In a gig economy, workers would be highly skilled in whatever they're
working on. They have to be able to adapt quickly to the situations they're placed in.
There is some time spent on training but the costs and time that goes into the hiring
process is eliminated. I have experience being a contract worker and I much prefer
being an employee. When I was a contract worker it was nice because I could make
my own schedule, but I wasn't given benefits and I also had to pay for any problems
that came up in my life from work. The job I work now can-do pay-outs to cover
costs. I've always been an employee in a company, but I have met others that are
contract workers. It always came down to the fact that you're able to make your own
schedule when I've talked with people I know.Gig Economy is something I haven’t
heard of as the correct word for contractors. Now that I I have learned what it actually
means I know that a gig is often times employment on your own. These could be food
service providers or your own like cleaning crew. The only positive I could see coming
out of having a gig profession is a lot of times you can make your own schedule and
work when you’re able to work.
I don’t think personally I would put myself in that position to where I don’t have the
stability or the certainty of my next position. I like working for a company because I
have disability, I have the benefits that go along with being a full-time employee. I do
see why some companies contract out certain positions for gigs because they aren’t real
reliable and they aren’t forced to pay them the same or to provide the benefits like
most companies do. I think for now I’ll just stick with where I’m at. It seems to be a
lot safer. For me, the gig economy is working on your own, with your own customers
or contracts with firms that pay you for your job without having to cope with labor
laws.We can contribute skills to the gig economy by remaining motivated and
persistent; there will be many people who agree with our business plans and some who
do not, which is why we must apply what we have learned in this class, such as
strategic planning, being analytic, and reviewing the process, and if something is not
working out, update the process or make changes.I like both, gig economy and
employment; I just need to balance my priorities. Right now, I have two teen-agers
who rely on my husband and me; they have recently begun driving, and our expenses
are considerable. Currently, employment is preferable because we require a steady
income, our work schedules are compatible with theirs, and we require the perks that
our employment jobs provide to us: salary, health benefits, sick days, vacation time,
and retirement. However, we intend to work for ourselves in the future when our
children are grown, our house is paid off, and we receive our retirement, even if it is
little, because we want to retire when we are not too old.When we had a family
business a few years ago, my husband used to get some work done by contractors who
had better machines and the quality of the products were better, and it was good for us
because we had customers and we could provide better products without having to
invest a lot of money in new machines. Many people who have come from outside the
country and do not have the necessary documents to work have contributed to the gig
economy by obtaining an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number and working in
jobs that benefit the county. The gig economy has three components. The first is that
the independent employee is paid by the "gig" (slang for job such as giving someone a
ride, fixing a leaky toilet, etc.). The second is a consumer who needs a service and is
motivated to use an independent contractor rather than a traditional company (typically
for increased convenience or to save money). The third is the companies that have
formed to facilitate workers finding these gigs (Uber, Etsy, etc.). The Gig Economy is
a segment of the economy composed of Independent Contractors, that provide
temporary, show up, non-scheduled labor. The Gig Economy is filled with jobs that
require just labor, a vehicle, or sharing a particular skill, that contractors can enter and
leave as they see fit into their schedule.When we think of the Gig Economy, we
usually think of Uber, Lyft, or food delivery services, however, many other "gigs" exist
that require a honed skill or particular access. These jobs maybe submissions of a
website built with certain requirements, foreign language translation, or using credentials
to enter restricted areas to assess business that the general public cannot freely access.
Many gigs I have personally participated operated on the lower end of the spectrum,
where I provided delivery of food, but I have also used design skills and specific
knowledge to assist on other gigs as well.For myself, I much prefer to be an employee.
I enjoy the stability, and the benefits of traditional employment, over the come and go
nature of gigs. For some people, gigs are ideal, such as those just passing through and
traveling. As for myself, I try my best to shine for my supervisors, and manage to
climb the ladder higher and higher with in the companies I work for.I remember when
I worked for a restaurant, we would have gig workers for takeout delivery. We used
gig workers specifically due to the lack of overhead and liability. The overhead we
didn't need to pay included health insurance and additional taxes. One of the lesser
thought of reasons for using gig workers was the liability, as we were not held
accountable if the worker was involved in a traffic accident, and no one could associate
them with our business if they were driving too fast or recklessly. A “gig” is
sometimes called a “side hustle” and is generally a short-term task, project or job that a
person takes up to make extra cash. h But many do gig work long term or as a main
source of income. Some gig workers get paid per task or assignment. Others earn an
hourly rate.
Generating additional income and having work flexibility are the most common motives
to work for gig economy. h
Independence and flexibility are the main aspect that people working in the gig
economy were often satisfied with. I would prefer a consistent business to work in.
Gigs are enjoyable and flexible, and I have taken part in a few. Most recent example is
starting up an Uber business in our small town that has 2 stoplights. My plan was to
do during major holidays or activities in town. It was a huge success and made extra
cash during the two nights of driving people during St. pats. Gigs like this are an
effective way for quick cash. Long term sustainability could vary, due to smaller
communities. More business in bigger cities. A gig economy is an independent
contractor ,temporary or short-term contracting jobs. Where you either are bidding for
services or being hired on for a short period of time. Normally though a temp service
or a driving service job through a third party. The skills you can bring to this job is
being more flexible with your time and promoting yourself by the work you previously
did. In the delivery service that i have previous work i got to set my own hours. I
worked for however long i would have wanted to and did not have to check with
anyone because it was already in the app. My preference would be an independent
contractor because i like to be i control of how I want to plan my day. What contracts
I want to pick up and i can say no and just leave within reason if i feel like I am
being treated poorly or if the customer was not living up to what we agreed on and
still get paid. Having the ability to negotiate every wage and building the relationship
with each customer i come across. A gig economy is a temporary or short-term job or
position, which is essentially disposable when you no longer have need of it. The skills
you can bring into a gig economy are what I call trade skills. For example, my
automotive knowledge and my ability to adapt to any job, at any time, at any pace. I
think adaptability and flexibility are important to a gig economy. With my small
business, I am the equivalent of a contract worker and I enjoy it a lot more than I ever
enjoyed being an employee because I am a mother before I am anything else, and
being a contractor allows me to set my hours and workweek around the needs of my
children and their appointments. I know that when I was working as an employee in
the foodservice industry, my employers weren't very flexible around my children and
their varying schedules. Working for myself allows that flexibility that is so important
to me. A Gig Economy is basically just a temporary position or short term. A position
you can change at any time when there is no need. Skills you can bring with you in a
gig economy would be self-motivation because since you are temporary. You need to
show them why they should keep you. And I also feel like since many people work in
this gig economy, they have many experiences with different jobs to bring all their
qualifications to the table. I see both sides of being a contractor worker, or an
employee. Being a contractor worker, you are guaranteed a time working with said
company, but you are temporary. Being an employee, yeah you are in with the
company, but you could be let go at any moment for any reason. So, they both have
their pros and cons. I don't think I would mind being a contract employee, but I don't
know how I feel about bouncing from one job to another or having to try and find a
new job. In my current role, we do have some kinds of gig employees. I work in a
school district, and we have substitutes and long-term substitute teachers. Being a
substitute teacher, you have a temporary spot in a class, it could be a day, it could be
a week. You could also be a long-term sub which means you are subbing for one class
for weeks if not months. In my opinion I think Gig Economy means a side job. It's a
job that isn't a permanent job and can typically get done pretty quickly. I feel like a lot
of people have these jobs on the weekends or something to do when they get done
with their "normal/permanent" job. I think one of the biggest skills I can bring to the
gig economy is my pipe lining and welding skills. When I graduated college, I went
through a bunch of schooling and testing to get certified in both of those. Another one
that is big around where I live is landscaping. I believe if you have the right clients
and set up that could be a side job or gig economy type job. I would much rather be
an employee; I like a more permanent/set job. I like to know I have a job and I can
bring money home to my family. I know with contract work you can usually negotiate
your pay and most of the time you are your own boss. I used to be a contract worker
and I prefer a lot more what I am doing now then back then. When you are a contract
worker, you are set to do one or two smaller jobs. When you are an employee, you are
there for a long time and most likely have a lot more jobs to do to keep you on your
toes.
