Gig workers — employees or employers?

[kotajikikox]

The term 'gig' originated from musicians to refer to the performances they are paid to do. Gigs are typically short-term temporary jobs. Gig workers are usually paid not on contract but based on project done or sometimes by hourly work.

During the pandemic, the gig economy rose significantly. We saw an influx of gig workers since almost everyone was laid off from their jobs and had to find something to do remotely. Now, it has almost became the norm. The pros of being a gig worker is you control your time. You do not need to clock in or clock out. No need to leave the comfort of your own house. You have more flexibility as long as you meet the terms of the project.

But we can't forget about the cons as well. Gig workers are essentially both the employee and the employer. They provide their own material or equipment to be used for their jobs. They are the ones to take care of employee benefits like healthcare insurance. Legal expenses are also their burden. One of the biggest factors of being a gig worker is its instability. Unlike employees, you are not contracted for a long time. So if you fail to find a job for a certain amount of time, you will not be earning anything.

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

[Despairo]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

Whenever someone discuss about this, I always say "choose both". They will know what they're better at and they will learn how to commit with their own decision.

When someone only have one jobs, they will talk very sweet on the other jobs they didn't pick.

In my opinion, if you're poor, choose 9 to 5 jobs. If you're at least middle upper class, choose gig worker. Anyone must have safety net in order to backup if they're failed.

[BitHodlers]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

This is not a question that can be simply answered, and the correct answer is only it depends. There were times that you could earn fascinating amount of money as a gig worker. Whether it was Uber or some online freelancing platforms, it was amazing but only for a time. Now Uber is not that great, and the freelancing platforms are saturated by low quality workers from the 3rd world. The competition is so extreme, lowering the profitability and the average quality of the work done. A double negative.

You need to do the math always for your specific circumstances. You can't even simply compare Uber drivers between countries. What is important though is to realize opportunities early, and be an early adopter. That is where the real money is made. If you are a late comer, then the money is just average at best.

[mindrust]

That entirely depends on the gigger. If the freelancer can bring exceptional work to the table, he will attract demand that means he is not chasing busines anymore. Business chases him. That pretty much means he is the employer, choosing customers at this point.

When you chase business for money, it is a sign of desperation.

It is just a power game in the end.

If you don’t have the ability to price your own work, you will have to be the employee till you acquire the necessary power to change roles.

[justinlamode]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

Being a gig worker is like someone owing a business, an entrepreneur who owns a business that render services to people and other businesses. Getting engaged as a gig workers is similar to securing a contract even though the terms of service is not exactly the same like the former sector of B2B relationship but one thing is unique, you learn a skill that is sought after, you market your skill and someone finds it interesting and got you engaged after which you are paid for the services rendered. It is definitely worth the cons and far better than the conventional employee arrangement since it gives you the freedom to work at your own pace.

[Helena Yu]

This is not a question that can be simply answered, and the correct answer is only it depends. There were times that you could earn fascinating amount of money as a gig worker. Whether it was Uber or some online freelancing platforms, it was amazing but only for a time. Now Uber is not that great, and the freelancing platforms are saturated by low quality workers from the 3rd world. The competition is so extreme, lowering the profitability and the average quality of the work done. A double negative.

You need to do the math always for your specific circumstances. You can't even simply compare Uber drivers between countries. What is important though is to realize opportunities early, and be an early adopter. That is where the real money is made. If you are a late comer, then the money is just average at best.

That's why qualities matters.

If you're a low quality, you will ended up in low reward. You shouldn't expect to get a high reward by giving low effort, that's only happen for few months or years. The world will change and if you didn't looking for new thing, ended up to have the same skill over and over, nothing surprise you will not get the same profit as before.

Either you're an employees or employers, you must improve.

[gunhell16]

Maybe it will depend on the taste of the individual who will try to use that method. Because both of them can provide a good profit to us. It is also possible that one is not profitable
and the other is profitable.

But of course, what will make it easier for us or other people is his priority, of course, it is difficult to try either of those two without the idea
or knowledge of the person who will try it. Right?

[Findingnemo]

People make shit ton of money in no time while an average employee take years to make the same because it depends on what the individual brings to the table and what's the demand for the skill on the market. So you can choose which one favours you depends on your confidence on your skills and also it is important how long the skill is gonna be relevant in this real world. Let's say you're an excellent translator but the demand is almost none cuz an app can do the same task for no cost at all and it's gonna be better in the era of evolution.

[Fortify]

The term 'gig' originated from musicians to refer to the performances they are paid to do. Gigs are typically short-term temporary jobs. Gig workers are usually paid not on contract but based on project done or sometimes by hourly work.

During the pandemic, the gig economy rose significantly. We saw an influx of gig workers since almost everyone was laid off from their jobs and had to find something to do remotely. Now, it has almost became the norm. The pros of being a gig worker is you control your time. You do not need to clock in or clock out. No need to leave the comfort of your own house. You have more flexibility as long as you meet the terms of the project.

But we can't forget about the cons as well. Gig workers are essentially both the employee and the employer. They provide their own material or equipment to be used for their jobs. They are the ones to take care of employee benefits like healthcare insurance. Legal expenses are also their burden. One of the biggest factors of being a gig worker is its instability. Unlike employees, you are not contracted for a long time. So if you fail to find a job for a certain amount of time, you will not be earning anything.

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

I see 'gig' jobs more as a secondary job that you can pick up the accompany your main work, if you have to do it full time then you are probably going to struggle as the rewards are low in comparison. The idea of being your own boss is nice, but employers often pay lots of extra costs and cover things like holiday time, which doesn't exist on these gig jobs unless you work harder. Due to the nature of the work, you'll often find that you end up competing against illegal immigrants or people who can accept a lot less money for their time, who flood the market and drive down previously lucrative jobs. In my country it is known that accounts are resold (even though the operators try to crack down on this) once verified and can be used by other people. It sounds glamorous but the realities of gig work is often long hours with little protection.

[Lanatsa]

The term 'gig' originated from musicians to refer to the performances they are paid to do. Gigs are typically short-term temporary jobs. Gig workers are usually paid not on contract but based on project done or sometimes by hourly work.

During the pandemic, the gig economy rose significantly. We saw an influx of gig workers since almost everyone was laid off from their jobs and had to find something to do remotely. Now, it has almost became the norm. The pros of being a gig worker is you control your time. You do not need to clock in or clock out. No need to leave the comfort of your own house. You have more flexibility as long as you meet the terms of the project.

But we can't forget about the cons as well. Gig workers are essentially both the employee and the employer. They provide their own material or equipment to be used for their jobs. They are the ones to take care of employee benefits like healthcare insurance. Legal expenses are also their burden. One of the biggest factors of being a gig worker is its instability. Unlike employees, you are not contracted for a long time. So if you fail to find a job for a certain amount of time, you will not be earning anything.

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

If you are a gig-worker then there's a possibility that you can become a full-time worker on which it would be basing up on your performance in overall. There are instances on which employers do really get or absorbed those people who had work for them but this isnt guarantee on which just like been said that gig are just that for project based and once its over then you do need to find for another one. The only issue on here is that once you do rely into this single source then once its over then you're fucked up and thats why as long as the time that you do have a gig then try to look for some full time. If it would be needing up for you to upskill then you should do it and come to think that since you do only have a gig then for sure you do have that sufficient time for you to spend up if you are planning to learn up some new skills. Never ever make yourself that being stagnant on which as much as possible then you do need to step up on which means that needing up to acquire new skills and never stop on learning because this will be that giving out that opportunity to get hired fulltime.

Is it worth? Yes, since its a job that you can be able to earn money and we do know on how crucial to earn money specially if you do have your own family. Although the main issue on here is that its not permanent on which this is that somewhat understandable and its impossible that you cant be able to distinguish about it and with that then its normal that you do make yourself that get prepared and not to make yourself that being that idle and just contented on what you do have now. Always consider out on having that much better skills that you do need up to obtain to be possibly be able to get or landed up with a full time job. We are all thriving to get a job full time on which this will be that making you be able to sustain and survive on daily living. Its not that simple but its not impossible on which everything matters on how you would handle yourself and doing out such action to make it happen.

[BitHodlers]

This is not a question that can be simply answered, and the correct answer is only it depends. There were times that you could earn fascinating amount of money as a gig worker. Whether it was Uber or some online freelancing platforms, it was amazing but only for a time. Now Uber is not that great, and the freelancing platforms are saturated by low quality workers from the 3rd world. The competition is so extreme, lowering the profitability and the average quality of the work done. A double negative.

You need to do the math always for your specific circumstances. You can't even simply compare Uber drivers between countries. What is important though is to realize opportunities early, and be an early adopter. That is where the real money is made. If you are a late comer, then the money is just average at best.

That's why qualities matters.

If you're a low quality, you will ended up in low reward. You shouldn't expect to get a high reward by giving low effort, that's only happen for few months or years. The world will change and if you didn't looking for new thing, ended up to have the same skill over and over, nothing surprise you will not get the same profit as before.

Either you're an employees or employers, you must improve.

No, it is more complicated than that with gig work. If you are trying to start as a freelancer, quantity is currently winning. Websites are saturated with workers. Quality works well in a competitive situation but only if you are already an established worker. The current situation with this kind of work is that it makes it very difficult for someone new to start, regardless of their quality of work. Clients are scared of low quality work, and naturally prefer to pay less. Are they going to hire you, a quality worker with no reviews for $100 or one of the 50 other offers that ask $20 each. 

[suzanne5223]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

The word "Gig" may have been originated from a group of musicians' performance or live band, but in the online space, it is the name given to the task or job offer in the freelance world.
Gigs have become the norm before the total lockdown, which was caused by the pandemic, but people notice it more during the lockdown since it gives a lot of alternative options for earning, and I could remember that was the season I worked for the Arweave altcoin team as a freelancer.
Gig working is good but it require alot of experience and understanding about how things work in the crypto space to avoid the cons.

[Smartprofit]

Freelance work has its pros and cons. Such work is suitable only for those people who can effectively plan their time, that is, have a basic understanding of time management.

I think that for most people, a hired job from 9:00 to 18:00 is a more preferable option. In the process of revolutionary struggle for their rights, workers all over the world have achieved great preferences from employers - laws protecting the rights of workers were adopted, trade unions were created, the duration of the working day was limited, such concepts as sick leave, vacation, severance pay, etc. were enshrined in law.

In addition, an employee in an organization has the opportunity to make a career. Becoming a person of power, a top manager of an organization is usually very attractive for a person, as it implies interesting work, a high salary and good bonuses.

A freelancer does not have all this. His rights are not protected. At the same time, if he is not only a good worker, but also a good entrepreneur, he has the opportunity to maximize his profits.

[Die_empty]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

One of the benefits of these online gigs is that it has been able to link people to employers in almost all parts of the world.  Payments are standardized for all workers regardless of the country. 

In a country where there is a high rate of unemployment, nobody cares about the demerits of gig work. Gig workers already know that their job is unsecured, so they would have to seek other means of income to cover up when they are laid off without notice.

[BIT-BENDER]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

You can't expect to be your own boss, work at your own convenience, work from the comfort of your space and still and expect not to cover what ever cost that comes with it.
The cons are trivial to me because you earn and can take some of the money you earn from to cover what ever you need the cons I see is depending on your niche the space is now getting very competitive and AI is now taking away jobs ordinarily humans would have been doing.

[DaNNy001]

People who work remotely are able to make more money than some employers...tech, forex and all of that is because she's just playing her part.. instead of working a job you don't like it's better to have an online skill that you can be good at..As time goes on the world is always advancing, change is constant that's the reason why you must also change your environment or decide to do something remarkable

[GxSTxV]

Personally I have no other choice but to be a gig worker, based on my region and duties finding a contract job isn’t easy and also not a good choice most of the time. I work remotely when I had 17 years old or younger, as a student that comes from a poor family, I had to work to earn my living while focusing on my studies.
I understand very well the cons of this work and at the same time I seek for a better lifestyle. I made many decisions in my life at a very young age, went through enough cases and experiences to realize that what I was doing is the only choice I had to afford both my expenses and build a better future while avoiding the trap of being stuck in a contract job like my parents and not being able to afford better for my kids.

When you grow in a hard environment, you realize that it’s hard for you to find stability and financial freedom, so you start early thinking about how to save you next generation. What are you waiting from a region where a doctor salary isn’t enough to afford buying a car even if you save 50% of it for 2 years? Not to mention affording a house or something bigger. While a remote job with my experience allowed me to afford many better things than a doctor or a lawyer.

[Botnake]

Let’s just be realistic, not all stable jobs offer a great compensation. In fact, side hustle these days are even more profitable compared to 9-5 day job that’s why it’s not surprising at all why a lot have chosen to leave their first job in exchange for short-term online/offline jobs.

Salary and convenience matter a lot. If there is bigger offer for a gig worker, no matter how unstable it is, people will certainly grab that kind of job than to stay for longer years working in a lower compensated stable job. Stability right now isn’t the most important at all, what matters the most is if you can find a job that will give you life-changing earning opportunities, no matter how unstable it is.

[passwordnow]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned?

What matters for the gig workers is the food that they bring to the table. As long as they're doing an honest work, that's all that matters. We're all here for survival and thriving for the betterment of our lives and provision to our families.

or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

To each their own.
I've seen people who's not used to the setup of working at home and be a gig worker or freelancer. What's appealling to them more is to commute and go to the office and have their co-workers meet in flesh. While there are a lot of people now that likes to work at home without having to do the hassle of commuting on a daily basis in a 9 to 5 setup.

[Agbamoni]

Is being a gig worker worth all the cons mentioned? or do you still find being a traditional employee more appealing?

2 Years ago, remote working was worth it. Most persons were lucky to find a 5 year to 7 year contract with high pay but now there are less opportunities for remote workers because the percentage of remote workers increase exponentially every year. Not just that, those who have held position in big companies would do anything to stay on the radar and normally they are informed of new technologies that can keep them up to date.