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Tuesday 23 July 2013

Gigonomics - The gig economy is here to stay

The global financial crisis has been the catalyst to more change in economies and the traditional way business has operated than any other single event I know of.

The reality is the market forces of globalised competition and margin pressure on companies has meant that a significant re-engineering is quietly going on. Volatility in business is now the new norm. To cope with this businesses must stay more flexible and agile than ever to manage to ride the waves successfully.


Sadly I think the days of a full time work force are numbered as this model just doesn't allow companies to compete effectively. Companies have been forced to evolve and keep costs tight by adopting "Gigonomics" and a part time/casual work force.

Gigonomics is a rapidly growing phenomenon whereby workers don't have jobs as much anymore but instead have a number of gigs with different companies to essentially derive an income equivalent to what would have once been a full time salary. Much like a rock band that relies upon stringing one gig after the other to get by. It is forecast that within ten years up to 50% of any company's team will be gigonomes.

Gigonomes are mostly contractors and consultants. They are currently mostly professionals or technical people but the trend is organically spreading into all types of roles. This group of people actually choose to work harder and frequently earn more than a traditional full time role would have typically once paid them.

Unlike their parents who are more used to the previously more secure corporate structures of 70's an 80's, Gen Y wants the freedom and are pretty comfortable with the gigonomics concept. For companies this helps them keep operating costs down and makes them more globally competitive. 

It will be a driver of innovation and the traditional foundations stones of big business weighed down with big overheads that prevent them from moving quickly will soon start to be shaken by the growing numbers gigonomes and freelancers out-maneuvering them.

Gigonomics is a win for companies and a win for the modern worker that is willing to back themselves and is here to stay.

All for now,

+Brad Skelton