Investigate the synergy of technology and the gig economy. Discover how technological innovations are altering flexible work and opening up new options!

In the year 2019, the Bureau of Labor projected that the percentage of workers in the gig economy in the United States will rise to 43% by 2020.

However, since the epidemic hit the world, it’s safe to believe that the actual number has greatly exceeded those projections. Also many full-time employees investigating new possibilities for work.

Nowadays, people with diverse sets of skills, expertise, and levels of education are now exploring nontraditional job routes. The traditional 9-to-5 office job is on its way out.

While the gig economy has been around for over a century, new technology have made it easier for workers to succeed in these roles and for businesses to discover the proper personnel, coinciding with the trend’s explosion.

What Is the Gig Economy?

The term “gig economy” refers to a landscape in which independent workers seek freelancing, part-time, or flexible arrangements and contracts rather than full-time, more permanent roles. journey-sharing services are one example: drivers are not full-time employees of companies such as Uber and Lyft, but rather contractors who are paid by the journey.

Gig work, while not always performed remotely, is frequently done away from the office. In any case, technology plays an important role in linking people throughout the world, assisting workers in finding jobs and businesses or clients in finding people to fill them.

How does technology make this possible?

Connectivity and Communication

The gig economy depends on the concept of integrating users to the services they require. People can use technologies like apps to book rides, rent out their homes, sell things, do odd jobs, and more. Clients and customers can often talk and connect with providers — gig workers — through these applications to ensure that goods and services are delivered seamlessly.

Potential freelancers can also use apps to find jobs and side hustles. For example, TaskRabbit connects consumers looking for services such as moving, shopping, and housework with gig workers who are available and eager to do these short-term projects.

Communication has also become more streamlined. Both individuals and businesses can connect with each other from almost any location, allowing companies to access specialized skills which could not be available locally. Freelancers working for organizations overseas, for example, can communicate about projects using applications like Skype and Slack.

The cloud

The introduction of cloud computing enabled employees to access critical programs, data, and other tools required for their employment, such as tracking tasks, collaborating on documents, and managing contacts.

The cloud also allows contractors and businesses to maintain a consistent flow of people and work, with information available from anywhere with a digital connection. The cloud provides security and a repository for files, eliminating the need to send critical papers.

Big Data

The massive amount of data generated by individuals and corporations enables organizations to examine trends and behaviors in prospective employees. This allows them to better discover prospective employees with the abilities and talents required to fulfill specific projects.

This benefits both hiring firms, which may more simply and swiftly locate the perfect fit for roles, and the employees themselves, who are going to stand out to recruiters based on the attributes those agencies seek.

This is especially beneficial for gig workers, who must ensure a good fit for temporary and short-term tasks in order to create a track record and secure future clients and customers.

Artificial Intelligence

Some people are concerned that technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) will render human workers obsolete in some areas. However, in many circumstances, AI can work alongside employees rather than replacing them completely.

In the gig economy, for example, staffing firms can better match workers to tasks, while automated application tracking systems (ATS) can sift through resumes to locate the finest candidates. In the sharing economy, AI can help match gig workers to customers and assignments depending on a variety of parameters specified by the client or customer.

Blockchain

Blockchain, an immutable, decentralized record that allows for secure and rapid transactions between parties, is an essential tool that can be utilized to protect gig workers. The technology has already had an impact on a wide range of sectors.

Because this employment is based on short-term assignments and is frequently not governed by an overarching contract, gig workers and their customers may be concerned about a violation of trust, such as the worker failing to provide the agreed-upon outcomes or the client failing to pay the agreed-upon payment. However, blockchain technology will enable workers and clients to create unchangeable contracts, validate skills and credentials, and conduct swift, seamless transactions.

Mobile Technology

In numerous ways, mobile technology underpins the gig economy. Gig work has been around for quite a while, but it wouldn’t be what it is now without mobile devices. We’ve addressed how apps improve worker-client connectivity, but mobile technology also benefits the gig economy in a variety of other ways.

Ride-share drivers, for example, can use their phone’s GPS to determine where riders should be picked up and how to get there. Riders can also text or call their drivers while on the way, using a service-provided phone number that protects both parties’ privacy.

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Reference & Citation:

Technology and the gig Economy | BairesDev. (2022, September 5). BairesDev.