Emerging gig economy jobs can be both good and bad

The gig economy is nothing new. It was first used in 2009 to describe the upcoming workforce trend. A gig economy engages employers, workers, and customers in short-term contracts. Although the gig economy promotes entrepreneurship and offers flexibility, autonomy, and limitless innovation, it raises concerns about workplace protections. The emerging gig economy jobs can be both good and bad. The variability in the quality of employment allows us to evaluate the conflicting costs and benefits related to the spread of this type of work. Continue reading below to know the dimensions of job quality in the gig economy.

1. Control
Most gig workers are associated with a platform. As a result, control over content and timing becomes an essential element of the employment relationship. Gig jobs requiring relatively high skill levels, such as writing software code or doing creative tasks, may provide greater autonomy for workers. Furthermore, many online platforms exert significant control over job costs and worker shares. Most platforms collect commissions by applying a flat percentage rate to job earnings.
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2. Wages and job duration
The wages and length of typical jobs paid by online platforms are also different. Workers benefit from the gig economy partly because it eliminates some of the constraints imposed by local labour markets.

3. Individual differences
An individual’s characteristics and the job’s characteristics determine whether a job is good or bad. Since workers have different choices and opportunities, their expectations about what must be in a job differ.

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The information contained in this blog is general in nature. If you are unsure how this applies to you, please contact us at VeiraMal Consulting. Our consultants will be happy to guide you through this.