Some Staggering Statistics

There are numerous sources that can provide sets of statistics that will clearly show the growth of the Gig Economy — staggering growth across all measured data points. But after looking at all of those statistics, one thing is clear: millions of people of all ages and backgrounds are choosing to join the Gig Economy for many different reasons.

Thus, increasing numbers of employers will be looking for temporary workers on websites that are dedicated to the exchanges that are necessary to pair employers who have available jobs with the people who have the skills to do those jobs. WOKR

That’s good. And that’s bad.

It’s good because you, as an American worker, will be able to work for companies all around the world.

It’s bad because you will have to compete with hundreds of thousands of workers all around the world for every single available job.

And know this: the level of competition will be extreme. If you can’t compete, you won’t have a chance to win. Many of your competitors will have more knowledge than you — even after you have gained some experience. Many of the employers looking for workers will want people who speak their language. While workers all over the world, regardless of their native language, speak English, very few Americans speak languages other than English at a level that would help them secure employment with a foreign corporation.

You may think that doing a report for which you get paid won’t be much different than doing a report in a classroom. But you’d be wrong. Because when you land a ‘gig,’ remember that you will have only one chance to get it right. There will be no do-overs. There are no ‘B’ or ‘C’ grades. The report is perfect. Or you’re gone.

Employers are a demanding bunch. They don’t want to have to pay someone to write a newsletter and subsequently have to correct the accuracy, grammar, or spelling of the document. The more work they have to do, the more likely you will not get paid — or get another contract. Many of these ‘gig’ sites offer the opportunity for the employer to rate the contractor the way movie viewers can rate a movie. You don’t want to be a ‘rotten tomato’ worker because no employer will hire a worker — even part-time — who can’t deliver the product.

So, when your English teachers discuss what you might think is the boring minutia of English grammar, or your Math teacher dives deep into the trickiness of Algebra, pay attention. You never know when academic subject matter can turn into the Gig of a Lifetime!