The rise of the ‘gig’ economy
The emergence of the ‘gig’ economy has come from the allure of ditching the 9-to-5 in favour of more flexible work. For many students, creatives, retirees or parents, for example, this kind of work can make a lot of sense. But what does it mean to get involved in this new economy?
Its definition is quite broad, extending to a variety of different career paths. According to OFX customer and partner Rob Rawson, Chief of Staff at Time Doctor, “It can apply to a lot of things, like Uber and AirBnB. It also could apply to people who are doing project work from home, like web design and development, and it could also apply to people who are hiring and working with people from different countries.”
As to why so many people are jumping on board the gig bandwagon, Rob explains that it’s often hard for people to go back to the way they used to work once they’ve become accustomed to the flexibility of working remotely.
“People are living in cities where the traffic is so horrible that they’re travelling 2 hours to work each day - so the opportunity to work from home and save yourself those 2 hours each day is really valuable to people,” Rob explains.
“People who go to that style of working, it’s very hard for them to go back.”