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. f 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. f
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.
