In case you aren’t familiar, the gig economy is a term that refers to the rising tendency for businesses to hire independent contractors and short-term workers, and the increased availability of workers for these short-term arrangements. Due in part to the advancement of the technological era, popularity of the internet (and with it, the capability for remote work) and in part due to the nature of apps like Uber, Airbnb, Fiverr and Upwork, the gig economy has flourished in recent years.

With the geometric rate at which people are interested in GIGs, it is not only pertinent we take a crystal clear view of its numerous impacts on the global economy but also on individual development. Gone are the days when workers are subjected to the crazy eight-to-five working schedule, a monotonous routine which embraces stifling career dissatisfaction, and the risks that come with having a tyrannical boss.

We live in a world whereby a resume with no updates within a 5 - 10 years period signifies acute career stagnation, rather than progression; the majority of skills need to be freshened continuously to catch up with the technological progress and the ever-changing global market. The variety of ways in which people work is probably more significant than ever before. Of course, any business set up with cross-border reach can provide employees with traditional project arrangements.

The emerging GIG economy has provided several online platforms which empowers local services, freelancers, and even local micro business. Today, thousands of freelancers are employed with autonomous jobs. "We don't have to keep submitting application letters to companies, and organizations - a freelance writer".

The economy has provided more options and broadens the horizon of employees; As Fabio Rosati, CEO of Upwork stated, "The 53 million residents of USA who are freelancing already contributed more than $700 billion to the economy nationally and help U.S. businesses compete and find the skills that they require. This is just the start: The connected dispensation we live in is liberating our workforce. The snag to being a freelance professional, searching for work, collaborating with clients and getting paid on time is fading off."

GIG Economy has helped place a restraint on social vices like stealing, fraud and a host of others; local communities are undergoing vast and enormous development through individual empowerment. Residents are capable of paying their bills since they can work based on their preferences.

Not to forget that women, physically disabled and minorities are also capable of working in a gig economy. Breastfeeding mothers can within their spare time offer paid services even from the comfort of their room. The Gig economy provides space for the blind, deaf, inferior to provide perfect services at their speed and niche.

In conclusion, the "gig economy" isn’t just an imitation of jargon. This is just a precise description of the state of the modern market; though the Bureau of Labor Statistics has admitted obscurity in counting the exact number of independent contractors and contingent workers, it is estimated that “gig” workers represent 35 percent of the workforce, and will grow to be 55 percent by 2020. It's only a matter of time.





Follow me through more active conversations on my Twitter account