The gig economy is a business model built around short-term, freelance or task-based work, called gigs, rather than permanent employment, with companies engaging independent workers for individual jobs instead of hiring staff. Most gig work today is organized through digital platforms that connect workers directly with customers, in areas such as ridesharing and delivery, space and property rental, and freelance services, letting companies avoid costs such as benefits and training while workers gain scheduling flexibility. In the United States about 16 percent of adults reported earning income through gig work as of 2021, a sector estimated at roughly 1 trillion dollars in economic value that year.
Facts
Partially Attested
Origin YearMany sources trace the popularization of the term gig economy to a 2009 essay by Tina Brown; the underlying practice of short-term, task-based work is far older, so this year marks the term's rise to common use rather than the practice's own origin. Core MechanismIn the gig economy, workers take on short-term or task-based jobs called gigs for one or more hiring businesses or platforms, rather than holding a single ongoing employer, typically without the benefits or job security of standard employment. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Most gig work today is organized through digital platforms that connect independent workers directly with customers, making the gig economy a leading application of the platform business model.
Uber is a defining gig-economy company, matching independent drivers with riders on a per-trip basis rather than through traditional employment.
Sources
1. Wikipedia, Gig Economy
WikipediaLead sectionQuote, Lead section
The gig economy is the economic system by which a workforce of people (known as gig workers) engage in freelance or side-employment by corporate entities.
1. Wikipedia, Gig Economy
WikipediaDescription sectionQuote, Description section
Many trace the phrase gig economy to a 2009 essay in which... Tina Brown proclaimed, 'No one I know has a job anymore. They've got Gigs.'
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