Rise Of The Gig Economy
Recent times have seen many changes in the way organizations go about their business. There have been many disruptions to traditional methods of working due to new business models and rapid innovations in technology. These changes have also impacted the modern workforce. More and more organizations now employ freelance workers and contracting partners to rapidly bring niche skills on the table. According to one estimate, more than half the workforce in the US would comprise of freelancers by the year 2020 in the technical domain. This trend of employing the services of freelance workers is commonly referred to as the gig economy.
In the gig economy, companies usually hire independent workers for a short term. This leads to the creation of temporary positions. The key benefit of generating a temporary labor force along with your regular employees is that you can hire top quality talent from across the world. These short-term workers are usually specialists brought on board for a specific need and their niche skills can quickly generate benefits and cut overheads associated with training and developing inhouse talent.
Many highly experienced professionals now prefer to work as solopreneurs and consultants and this has given a big boost to the gig economy as they bring huge value to the organizations they work with. Several other factors have also contributed to the growth of freelance work. Let us look at some of them.
Automation
Recent months have seen a huge interest in technologies such as Robotic Process Automation more commonly referred to as RPA. As companies invest more in automation, they no longer require full time salaried employees. They only need part-time or contract hired workers to perform specific tasks.
Mobile Workforce
Due to the internet, a lot of work can now be performed remotely - many times even from the other end of the globe. Companies can now hire the best talent out of a global pool of candidates. This can also prove to be cost effective for companies and gives them a lot of flexibility in the people they employ.
Career Growth
Many professionals do not believe in ‘job security’ and they tend to diversify their income sources. The gig economy is also driven by choice. People can pursue career paths of their interest and values through self-driven work.
The gig economy offers entrepreneurial opportunities and consists of freelancers, distributed teams and self-employed people. There are distinct kinds of side jobs in a gig economy.
Freelancing
Freelancing usually requires a specific specialized skill to do the job. For example, artists, editors, designers, online workers very often work as freelancers. There are many online platforms that bring together freelancers within a specific domain and connect them with businesses looking for resources.
Sharing Economy
A shared economy refers to the offering of something that you own to others. The most common and popular examples are Uber which allows you to share your vehicle to drive customers to their destinations. Another example is Airbnb which allows you to share your home or apartment with travelers. These services do not require any specific skill. Both business models have proved to be very popular and an effective means to earn extra income.
Content Producers
The digital age has created a fantastic opportunity for content writers and bloggers to earn from their creativity and passion for writing. Video content is also very much in vogue these days.




















