The gig economy has exploded in popularity over the last ten years. It's easy to see why — a combination of flexibility, independence, scheduling, and extra money are all powerful incentives. More and more people are becoming at least partially self-employed — depending on how you measure it, it's estimated that between 17 and 57 million workers are part of the gig economy or are independent business owners, contractors, or freelancers.
This is the big one and is the main reason people give for enjoying gig work. Being able to set your own hours and schedule for your other commitments is huge. This is particularly important for people without other, traditional work arrangements, with students, homemakers, and retirees enjoying this flexibility most.
Many freelancers and on-demand workers enjoy being rewarded and recognized through merit. The better and harder they work, and the higher the quality of the results, the more they are recognized. This direct link between work and reward can be a powerful motivator for many.
The ability to set where you want to work is a big advantage. Freelancers and on-demand workers can avoid long commutes, and even work from home if they have the right technology. This can help them, with other commitments like family or elder care.
As an employer, it's important to understand how the staying power of the gig economy can benefit your business — either through hiring expert freelancers for complex projects, or by bolstering your workforce with on-demand, temporary workers.
Many businesses, especially those with strong, seasonal trends, can take advantage of on-demand, temporary workers to plug any workforce gaps. An app and marketplace like Wonolo gives you rapid access to rated, vetted, trustworthy people who can be working with your business within a day.
Wonolo attracts a diverse range of excellent people, who are motivated to learn new skills, seek out better opportunities, and take care of their families. Two-thirds of the workers on Wonolo prefer longer shifts. Our most popular categories of work include customer service, warehouse work, administration, retail, and catering.
Businesses that have busy, seasonal periods like retailers, warehouses, logistics, and distribution.
Organizations that need to plan and staff events like caterers.
Startups and small businesses that want to grow in areas like sales.
Businesses that have too much administrative or other work with insufficient in-house manpower.
Departments that are suffering from absences and need to meet operational quotas.
In all these areas, an on-demand, temporary worker marketplace like Wonolo can help you to seamlessly meet business demands, and help you work more efficiently.
You need to meet increased demand at specific times.
You don't want to hire in permanent employees just yet.
You need to deal with shortfalls in your existing workforce.
With the gig economy becoming an important part of modern work, it's time to look at how on-demand workers can integrate into your workforce.