What is that going to mean for employers?
What is the gig economy?
The gig economy is typically a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work.
Types of gig workers include people who are self-employed, people doing supplemental work on FT employment (a side hustle), people creating FTE full-time equivalent work (building full time employment out of a set of gigs), and people doing flexible part-time employment (with no other additional FT work).
How many people work in the gig economy?
The size of the gig economy in Canada is somewhat difficult to judge, but Global News reports that almost one third of working Canadians engage in freelance, contract, part-time or otherwise precarious work. This is in part due to the creation of gig economy platforms.
What does a gig economy have to do with us?
As millennials move into management roles and gen Z individuals move into the workforce the outlook on work and careers is changing. In previous generations it was expected for individuals to enter into the workforce, find a career path and stick to it for the duration of their employable years. This has become both less appealing and less attainable.
Why do you young people prefer gig work?
Forbes says that 43% of individuals list flexibility as the most important reason to work independently (source). For young people this allows them to prioritize things that are important to them. This might mean more time for family, travel or other passions like art. It can also mean prioritizing work and companies that aligns with their values. We see this type of prioritization happening more and more with younger generations. Career choices are becoming less about the work and more about the organization.
What is this going to mean for employers?
Using casual employees and gig workers can help to lower labour costs for employers. It also allows, in some cases, for workers to work remotely which can also save the employer money. That being said, these employees need to be effectively managed and treated well to be motivated to maintain employment and continue to pick up work opportunities and gigs. Relying on gig workers can mean competing with other potential employers on a constant basis.
What can employers do to keep workers?
A good organizational structure is extremely important in maintaining employees. Workers are looking for ease of picking up work opportunities, a user friendly system, an easy way to keep track of shifts/gigs and effective support from employers. Thankfully technology has made gig jobs easier to obtain for the worker and easier to manage for the employer.
How can a shift-booking platform help your business?
Using traditional methods, finding casual workers is challenging and scheduling is a hassle. In many cases, employers still manually call casual workers until they find someone to pick up an open shift or a particular piece of gig work. New technology allows for the most time-consuming steps to be automated. CrewDriver is a software that automates this process for employers, so they spend less time matching workers to shifts and workers benefit from the ease of receiving and accepting the shift offers they want.
Click here to learn more about automation and how it can help your business.
