Gig Economy

A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. The term "gig" is a slang word meaning "a job for a specified period of time" and is typically used in referring to musicians. Temporary work or temporary employment refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time based on the needs of the employing organization.

(source: whatis.techtarget.com)

Gig Economy
Instacart Shoppers Demand Better Tips, Elimination Of Fees
November 12, 2019

Two organizations, the Tech Workers Coalition and Gig Workers Rising, protested on Tuesday morning (Nov. 12) outside Instacart headquarters in San Francisco over compensation for its shoppers, according to a report by TechCrunch. The organizations want Instacart to bring back a $3 quality bonus, set...

Gig Economy
Creating Gig Economy Payments Trust Factor
November 06, 2019

FinTech is on the march, and one area where progress is highly visible is in the growing gig economy ecosystem. There, online platforms match workers with employers as payments become quicker and more digital and quicker — after all, gig labor becomes a better experience...

Gig Economy
Instacart Plans Three-Day Strike Over Pay
November 04, 2019

Gig workers are disrupting Instacart’s delivery business Nov.3-5 to demand an increase in default tips and overall pay, Fast Company reported on Sunday (Nov. 3).  Open letters to Instacart CEO and founder Apoorva Mehta were signed by 212 workers who want the company to overhaul...

Gig Economy
Uber, Lyft Back Ballot Measure To Fight California Gig Worker Law
October 30, 2019

Uber, Lyft and DoorDash are backing a ballot initiative to exempt themselves from California’s landmark law that re-classifies gig economy workers as employees, the companies announced in a press release on Tuesday (Oct. 29). The ballot measure — Protect App-Based Drivers & Services Act —...

Gig Economy
EU’s Vestager: Gig Workforce Should Be Able To Unionize For Better Pay
October 24, 2019

European Union antitrust chief and Silicon Valley critic Margrethe Vestager said gig economy workers should join forces for better pay, the Financial Times reported on Thursday (Oct. 24).  She further pledged that EU rules can’t prevent gig economy workers from forming unions. “Platform workers should be...

Gig Economy
Even Bad Tippers Might Pay More With Better Tech
October 22, 2019

The rise of digital payments and the gig economy cannot guarantee that consumers will tip. But new technology is sure making tipping easier — both for consumer and workers — even if human nature is, well, human nature. Here’s the dim news: A new study from the National...

Gig Economy
How TaskRabbit, With IKEA, Is Reshaping The Gig Economy
October 18, 2019

One of the basics of platform design and ignition is getting “anchor tenants” on board who — given their size, scale and profile — tend to attract other stakeholders to the platform. What’s not as common is for an anchor tenant to acquire a platform...

Gig Economy
What’s Wrong With The Attack On Gig Economy Pay
October 14, 2019

Drivers can’t make ends meet. Given the median income of roughly $25,000 a year and the number of hours required behind the wheel to earn that, drivers’ wages fall well below the federal hourly minimum wage. As independent contractors, drivers also have no benefits. After...

Gig Economy
Instacart Gig Workers Plan Protest Over Wages, Fees
October 11, 2019

From Nov. 3 to Nov. 5, Instacart shoppers are planning to protest the delivery company, according to reports. The protesters have three demands: The want Instacart to change the default tip amount from 5 percent to 10 percent, they want the company to get rid...