‘Giggers’

The main reason “giggers” prefer this over the stability and security of full-time fixed salary employment with benefits is the independence and flexibility it offers in terms of time and workplace.

Initially, the word “gig” refers to temporary short time work usually done by musicians. They are freelancers or moonlighters. Eventually, it has evolved to encompass all types of work, mainly providing services, doing specific tasks or projects and has become synonymous with the term independent contractors. Taken as a whole, these workers and their work are referred to as the gig economy. However, there are also full-time workers engages in additional short-term work outside of their prime occupation. Many IT professionals do this until such time that short-term projects become so numerous that they quit their full-time jobs.

“Gigging” is looking for short-term work on a continuous basis. The main reason “giggers” prefer this over the stability and security of full-time fixed salary employment with benefits is the independence and flexibility it offers in terms of time and workplace. It gives them more control in choosing the kind of work they do and enjoy, work that makes full use of their talents and aligned to their interest. Employers, in turn, accept this arrangement as it gives them the flexibility to select from a larger pool at any time for short-term assignments. This option entails lesser cost in terms of office space and training.

Gigging is not a new phenomenon. It has been around for a long time and comprises musicians, artists, writers, part-time drivers, teachers and home service providers, such as gardeners, plumbers, electricians and caregivers. Lately, domestic helpers have gone into home cleaning and laundry services on a contractual basis. It offers higher pay and flexibility on their own terms.

If teachers, bookkeepers and others are counted in the gig economy, then perhaps independent lawyers and doctors should likewise be included although it may not be proper to ask them what is their next gig. Likewise, millennials are not the only giggers but retirees as well who are doing freelance work on a limited basis.

The rise of the gig economy specially for creative, high-value, knowledge-intensive jobs is due mainly to the inroads in digital technology. It is specialized and personalized service of any kind, on demand. Online marketplaces offer easy search for freelance work, apart from merchandise. IT professionals do consulting work on various software and programming related issues from home. Computer-based platforms connect and facilitate exchanges and transactions between service providers and users such as Uber and Airbnb.

It has been written that the gig economy is the “democratization of capitalism” when workers are given the opportunity to take full control of their working lives. This could also be one of the reasons for the steady decline in labor union membership. They have all become entrepreneurs. Interestingly, for them to stay in the game, they need to be creative, adaptable, more focused and dependable, the very same traits required of full-time employees. Perhaps the difference is that the gig worker gets the full benefits of his work immediately rather than the slow and long-drawn climb to the top of the corporate ladder. Additionally, there is the opportunity to grow big, even giving birth to a host of other services, eventually becoming business owners having full-time employees.

Giggers help the economy from the work they do and the income they earn. I am not certain, however, to what extent they are captured in government statistics on total labor force. Self-employed owners of businesses versus a gig worker are entirely different, and the latter may be more difficult to capture and monitor. Nevertheless, if this segment is indeed growing, then it may be worthwhile to get more information about them, their age bracket, field of specialization, and to what extent government can assist in growing their chosen work, especially in terms of providing financial assistance.

Additionally, the Department of Labor and Employment needs to revisit its administrative orders on temporary and contractual arrangements with respect to the gig economy. At the end of the day, government may well be able to harness this sector for economic development by facilitating and promoting their linkages to the formal economy and in the process, generate additional revenues to the national coffers.