There is nothing as certain as death and taxes. But one should add retrenchment in a globalizing world. At the rate the world is becoming a giant globe of trading space, there is no guarantee that the most expensive and cheapest jobs won’t be shipped out and shipped away, permanently. Notwithstanding, the proliferation of small businesses in US or elsewhere, there are “less and less” jobs with these entities, as many have had to become mean and lean to keep their variable and fixed costs low, according to Diane Mulcahy.
All the above are actually serious issues of concern. The whole process suggests a “great displacement,” otherwise widely known as the great “disruption.” But, Diane Mulcahy believes that the changes confronting the global economy, what she termed gig economy, are not necessarily so threatening and scary. No one needs to feel completely powerless, if s/he knows how to take advantage of the opportunities at hand.
One can, for example, resort to driving Uber. While 20 percent of the profits go to Uber, 80 percent is given back to the driver. More importantly, an Uber driver can drive at will, according to his or her own preference and schedule. This ensures a lifestyle that is convenient, easy and adaptable to one’s own expectations and demands. Such gigs are proliferating throughout the economic landscape due to the apps’ revolution.
Many apps can pave the way towards profitable gigs. Skillsshare.org, for example, allows one to leverage their old or new skills. Using a video or camcorder, those who pledge to teach can provide strong and powerful lessons online. To the degree there is an audience in the open world, say, for website development and WordPress, a successful teacher that performs such a gig, albeit an academic one, can easily get 30,000 to 40,000 students, each paying USD 1 or less.
The Gig Economy is full of these lessons. Beyond what the platform economy has done the gig economy, also known as on-demand economy, helps individuals to connect.. In this sense, it is a socially helpful and constructive book. Not the least, it is a manual to the dawn of the new share-economy.