The Gig Economy is here to stay

[tsh92Guest]

The Gig Economy is here to stay and I'm sure it will expand to other industries with increasing take up rates and usage of smartphones and the Internet. Gone are the days where things must be scheduled way beforehand and rigidly followed. High connectivity brings us convenience in simply finding a replacement or choosing the assignment that fits my schedule.

[KSN-1Guest]

Reasons vary for different people in the Gig Economy. Some of them are in this mode of employment because they enjoy the freedom and flexibility of planning work around their own schedules instead of being stuck to a strict office hour job. Mothers with young children would also find that doing Gig work from home (e.g. telemarketing or writing a research report) allows them to achieve better work-life balance.

Or do the majority of Gig workers doing part-time Gig work forced into it because they are PMETs who were retrenched by their previous companies? And mid-career PMETs in their 40s and 50s would not find it easy to look for full-time jobs with equivalent pay.

What do the forum members think? Which of these two groups make up the majority of Gig Economy workers?

[pangszemeng]

I feel that even young mothers would aspire to be gainfully employed when the kids are older. However there are some mothers who prefer to have more time on hand and thus they prefer to be flexible and hence the gig economy would be suitable for them.

As for PMETs especially those in the 40s and 50s, i like to think they prefer a full time and stable job, as most of them have financial commitments to keep. However if they cannot find a full time and stable job, some of these PMETs may turn to the Gig economy to keep themselves occupied and earn a little income to pay expenses. This is better than sitting at home and not doing anything at all.

[CherylcGuest]

I think the majority of people is in gig economy for the freedom and flexibility in time while earning a sufficient income, not so much of being forced into it.
Retrenched mid-career PMETs might use join the gig economy as a stop-gap measure before finding a full-time job, to keep themselves occupied and earn some income too.

[GW-GuestGuest]

With the proliferation of on-demand startups (ServisHero, Uber, Grab, FoodPanda, you name it), I see that such technologies have allowed us to better enjoy connectivity and access to goods and services much quicker. For instance, think about what has happened a decade ago. If you'd like a ride, you're physically there to flag a cab. If you'd like a handyman to fix your broken sink, you'd flip the Yellow Pages.

The notion of this "gig economy" or rather, the entire ecosystem has allowed people to enjoy higher standards of living and connectivity. While many may argue, I believe it's only just the beginning of everything. It's exciting to be living in such an era and I can't wait to see what technology can take us through another decade.

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