The gig economy as we know it is on the verge of destruction. Gig work, otherwise known as freelance work, was once held up as an entry into the entrepreneurial economy for many people seeking to dip their toes in, but that economy is currently threatened by people who do not understand its vitality for freelance entrepreneurs. There is now a push, from policy makers and a few gig contractors who think it is in the best interest of gig workers and gig employers, to professionalize the gig economy.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal interviewed gig contractors and policy makers, who explained what professionalizing the gig economy would look like if demands are met. The article describes the policies they seek to enact, which eliminate the incentives that make the gig economy attractive for those who enjoy its flexibility and freelance work options. The new mandates will undoubtedly raise business costs for employers and inadvertently shut out the people the gig economy should help: unskilled college students with little to no real work experience, retirees, stay-at-home parents, and, of course, budding entrepreneurs. Professionalizing the gig sector will bog it down with unnecessary new requirements that will destroy it.
One gig worker the Wall Street Journal interviewed said, “It is possible to transform the gig economy into a profession that is dignified for workers.” Really? Another gig delivery driver with the right idea about the gig economy told the reporter that “the flexibility and income allow him the time and funds for other pursuits, and he does not want to mess that up.” The gig economy in its current state is an oasis for regular folks who seek entrepreneurial channels to earn extra money or supplement their nine-to-five careers. The push to turn this economy into something vastly different will disemploy food delivery drivers, artists, tutors, musicians, coders, fitness coaches, construction contractors, and other gig workers.
Hellbound and Down 