Work In The Gig Economy

Throughout the last decade, the ‘gig economy’ has emerged as one of the most significant developments in the world of work. As a novel, hyper-flexible form of labour, gig work features a uniquely fragmented working arrangement wherein independent workers partner with digital platform organisations to provide a range of on-demand services to customers. Work in the Gig Economy: A Research Overview provides a concise overview to the key themes and debate that encompass the gig economy literature. It covers five core themes: an introduction to gig work; classification issues; the role of technology; the experiences of gig workers; and the future of gig work. As an emerging and diverse research field, contributions stem from an array of perspectives including psychology, sociology, human resource management, legal studies, and technology management. The chapters synthesise the most prominent insights into this emerging field, key thinking on the complex relationships and conditions found in gig work, and the most significant issues to be addressed as the gig economy continues to develop. A critical introduction for students, scholars and reflective professionals and policymakers, this book provides much needed direction through the rapidly growing and expansive body of research on work in the gig economy.

Today, most Americans are working in the gig economy--mixing together short-term jobs, contract work, and freelance assignments. Learn how to embrace the independent and self-sufficient world of freelance! The Gig Economy is your guide to this uncertain but ultimately rewarding world. Packed with research, exercises, and anecdotes, this eye-opening book supplies strategies--ranging from the professional to the personal--to help you leverage your skills, knowledge, and network to create your own career trajectory. In this book, you will learn how to: Construct a life based on your priorities and vision of success Cultivate connections without networking Create your own security Build flexibility into your financial life Face your fears by reducing risk Corporate jobs are not only unstable--they’re increasingly scarce. It’s time to take charge of your own career and lead the life you want, one immune to the impulsive whims of an employer looking only at today’s bottom line. Start mapping out your place in the gig economy today!

The "gig economy" is a relatively recent term coined to describe a range of working arrangements that have previously been denoted as precarious, flexible and contingent. Borrowed from musicians, a "gig" describes a one-night performance, but in the context of general employment, it covers the self-employed who work for hire, those on temporary, short-term contracts and on zero-hours contracts. In this concise overview, Alex de Ruyter and Martyn Brown explain the key facets of the gig economy and explore the dangers and potential it affords. Drawing on recent case-studies from the UK, Europe and the USA, it offers an authoritative guide through the theories and issues that surround the gig economy. --

The crowdsourcing of work - the 'gig economy' - has been hailed as a 'sharing' revolution, enabling 'micro-entrepreneurs' to enjoy greater autonomy and flexibility in taking on 'gigs', 'rides', or 'tasks', while customers benefit from the ease, convenience, and affordability of 'work on demand'. Is this the future of work? What are the benefits and challenges of crowdsourced work? Is the gig economy fundamentally different to existing models of work and should it be kept outside the scope of employment law, as many platforms claim? Humans as a Service offers an engaging and critical account of the gig economy. It charts the industry's dramatic growth, explores the diverse platforms that comprise it, and describes how they operate. In scrutinising the competing narratives about 'gig' work, the book demonstrates the importance of language: how claims of 'disruptive innovation' and 'micro-entrepreneurship' often obscure the realities of highly precarious work and the strict algorithmic surveillance and control to which workers are subject. And yet, far from being radically new, the book shows that the gig economy is but the latest (and perhaps most extreme) example of labour market practices that have existed for centuries. Turning to how the law should respond to the on-demand economy, it argues that regulators can and must bring this work within the scope of employment law, adapting existing norms where necessary, in order to protect both customers and workers. Finally, it explores the wider implications of the gig economy for markets and consumers, assessing oppprtunities and challenges - if this is the future of work, how can it be made sustainable?

All of a sudden, everybody’s talking about the gig economy. From taxi drivers to pizza deliverers to the unemployed, we are all aware of the huge changes that it is driving in our lives as workers, consumers and citizens. This is the first comprehensive overview of this highly topical subject. Drawing upon years of research, stories from gig workers, and a review of the key trends and debates, Jamie Woodcock and Mark Graham shed light on how the gig economy came to be, how it works and what it’s like to work in it. They show that, although it has facilitated innovative new services and created jobs for millions, it is not without cost. It allows businesses and governments to generate value while passing significant risk and responsibility onto the workers that make it possible. This is not, however, an argument for turning back the clock. Instead, the authors outline four strategies that can produce a fairer platform economy that works for everyone. Woodcock and Graham’s critical introduction will be essential reading for students, scholars and general readers interested in the massive shifts that characterize our modern digital economy.

For many, the gig economy is part of everyday life. It affects how our food and groceries are delivered, our transportation options, and where we stay when we travel. But while apps like Uber tend to receive the most attention, this shift in the labor market manifests in many different ways. Essentially, it applies to anyone who forgoes traditional full-time employment for temporary or contract-based work. Your readers will experience a wide range of viewpoints that consider how the gig economy has developed, its advantages and disadvantages for both workers and consumers, and whether regulation could help ensure its growth is beneficial to all involved.

This edited collection examines the gig economy in the age of convergence from a critical political economic perspective. Contributions explore how media, technology, and labor are converging to create new modes of production, as well as new modes of resistance. From rideshare drivers in Los Angeles to domestic workers in Delhi, from sex work to podcasting, this book draws together research that examines the gig economy's exploitation of workers and their resistance. Employing critical theoretical perspectives and methodologies in a variety of national contexts, contributors consider the roles that media, policy, culture, and history, as well as gender, race, and ethnicity play in forging working conditions in the 'gig economy'. Contributors examine the complex and historical relationships between media and gig work integral to capitalism with the aim of exposing and, ultimately, ending exploitation. This book will appeal to students and scholars examining questions of technology, media, and labor across media and communication studies, information studies, and labor studies as well as activists, journalists, and policymakers.

In the last five years, the world of work has changed dramatically. Thanks to technology companies like Uber, TaskRabbit, and Instacart, the new "gig economy" seems to constantly be in the news. But most of the media focus is on the low end of the skill spectrum; little attention is being paid to the best-in-class professionals who have chosen an independent path. New digital talent platforms are developing at a rapid clip with a wide variety of business models, many catering to very precise, high-value skill sets. Thriving in the Gig Economy is an actionable guidebook outlining ways to maneuver in this new world to create a path that optimizes success. You will learn: The differences between the gig economy and the sharing and on-demand economies. The best ways to work with digital talent platforms and traditional consulting intermediaries. Commonsense logistics around digital branding, contracts, and employment issues. The tools and services to enhance your practice. The growth in this marketplace is exponential, and Thriving in the Gig Economy is one way for you to take advantage of all its potential.