When asked for an operational definition of a Gig worker or a Freelancer compared to entrepreneurs who start consultancies, I really do not have an answer. The fact is, there are many different ideas and opinions about what Gig workers are or what they do. To prove my point, just look at how many different names and titles there are for these types of workers. You have freelancers, gig workers, entrepreneurs, consultants, contract workers, independent workers, and so on.
This challenge to narrow down a description is what makes it so hard to quantify the amount of people who actually do this type of work. Thankfully, next year the United States Census Bureau is going to start collecting this information again, so that will be helpful in allowing us to see how big this space actually is.
Most people will agree on one thing however, and that is the use of online intermediaries for these types of workers to generate business. Some examples of these online intermediaries include Upwork, Airbnb, Uber, TaskRabbit or Freelancer.com. But this still does not solidify or narrow down the definition of these types of workers.
As an example of this challenge, I used to have a consultancy business and I was considered as much of a freelancer as someone from Uber or Airbnb would be. Even now, I am technically considered to be a freelancer because I give keynotes at various organizations and I do projects for multiple people. It is just very difficult to differentiate between all of the facets of this type of work, and therefore, they all kind of get lumped in together.
Perhaps over time we may see more specific definitions surface for these types of workers. JPMorgan Chase already has a report on the subject that breaks down some sub categories under the larger, broader category of alternate work arrangements. Under the alternate work arrangement bucket they list out sub categories such as online intermediaries and contract or temp agencies. I wish I could give you a direct answer to this questions, but hopefully the definitions for these types of jobs will become more defined and clear over time.
What do you think? Do you agree with my answer? How would you define Gig or Freelance workers? Use #AskTheFuturist on Twitter to share your thoughts on this subject. You can also use the hashtag to ask me a question for a future episode.
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