Survival in the Gig Economy

By Brynne VanHettinga

The gig economy is touted as the brave new way of working.  Its promoters claim that it holds the promise of flexibility and greater worker control, freeing us from the grind of the nine-to-five trapped in a corporate cubicle.  Its detractors claim that it is another step in the degradation of work, as even traditional jobs are being outsourced, made temporary, contingent, and paying less.

 

The paradox is that both sides are correct. The gig economy holds promise, but it also has a dark side.  Traditional jobs--especially good jobs--are disappearing, leaving more of us fighting over fewer scaps. Workers who know how to navigate the new economy will be better able to make it work for them rather than falling into its traps of exploitation. 

 

Whether gig work will free you to build a better life or only be a newer form of working harder for less will depend on your knowing the full truth. Survival in the Gig Economy gives you the pros and cons of gig work, sources for better quality gig jobs, an overview of the legal issues, tax tips for independent contractors, and managing your life when nothing is predictable.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brynne VanHettinga
• Release date: Jun 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9781732285606

Book preview

Survival in the Gig Economy

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Brynne VanHettinga, J.D., M.P.A., Ph.D.

Copyright © 2018 by Brynne VanHettinga

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All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author.

ISBN:  978-1-7322856-0-6 

Questions, comments or requests to the author for speaking engagements:

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Educational and non-profit organizations seeking multiple copies may contact the author for discounted pricing.

For more by this author visit http://www.books4thinkers.com

For lots of content debunking establishment economic myths and analyses of the degradation of our working life, visit www.thegreatjobsdeception.com

Other Books by this Author

Full Length Books

The Great Jobs Deception: Why More Workforce Education Will Not Solve the Problem of Inadequate Jobs  (2018)

Why Assholes Rule the World (2019)

Good People, Evil Society: A Philosophical and Moral Inquiry (2021)

EBooks

The REAL History of Labor Day and the War on American Workers

Campaign Finance Reform: The Shifting and Ambiguous Line Between Where Money Talks and Speech is Free

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

What is the Gig Economy?

What Does Gig Work Look Like?

Myth versus Reality of Gig Jobs

The Big Legal Issue of Gig Work

Tax Consequences

Sources for Better Gig Jobs

Gig Work and Surviving Job Loss

Conclusion

Also By This Author

Introduction

BY NOW, most people have heard about the gig economy.  But what exactly is it? More importantly, is it something that we should embrace and welcome, or does it portend the end of civilization as we know it? The answer is...probably a little of both.

Many people encounter the gig economy when they find the traditional job market no longer works for them. You may be a recent graduate attempting to land your first job and get your foot on some kind of career ladder, but no one will hire you because you lack experience. Alternatively, you may be a middle-aged worker with years of experience in a particular industry who has been laid off and now find it difficult to secure comparable employment. You may even already have a job, but it doesn’t pay enough to meet basic expenses. As someone who is resourceful and individualistic, you probably do not question the inadequacies of the labor market, but instead turn your attention to figuring out how to survive. You may start driving for a ride-sharing service like Über. You may pick up some paid work from online platforms such as Taskrabbit and Upwork. You may decide to offer your services on a freelance basis, with the remote hope of something eventually turning into a full-time job. You have stumbled into the gig economy.

It is no longer a secret that full-time permanent jobs have disappeared in record numbers. The jobs that are being created to replace them tend to be part-time, low-paid and have little potential for upward mobility. In The End of Jobs, Taylor Pearson suggests that, as more of us will have to take control over our careers in an unpredictable economy, we will have greater opportunity to create the kind of work and life that suits our needs and individual personality. No more conforming oneself to a hostile corporate culture, or working so many hours (without the benefit of overtime) one hardly has a personal life at all. 

The problem with this theory is that most people are not prepared for the gig economy. Those with higher level skills may be able to secure better-paying and more regular gigs. Those who have substantial savings (or a working spouse) may be able to keep body and soul together long enough until they can establish a sufficient income from freelance work. For everyone else, the situation does not look particularly good. Many gig jobs are extreme versions of what’s been happening to regular jobs for decades:  the deconstruction of projects into discrete micro-tasks so that the worker can be paid at a minimum rate for a minimum amount of time. By creating a workforce of independent contractors, employers no longer have to offer benefits such as health care, nor be concerned about legal labor protections (e.g., minimum wage and anti-discrimination laws). 

The larger question for us as a workforce is whether the gig economy represents freedom from corporate indenture or a return to a new form of slavery, where the only difference is we get to choose and change our master. There is no question that we are going to have to find a new way of earning a livelihood, because the traditional job market is becoming less and less able to serve us. The gig economy may present us a middle ground—a way to transition from old-style corporate jobs into a new world of working and living.

What this book does is give you the facts—and not the hype—about the gig economy. Yes, it does offer promise, but like so much else, it is laden with feel-good propaganda intended to manipulate working people and keep them from challenging the system. The gig economy can work for you, so long as you are aware of its perils and pitfalls. In this book, you will learn about the different types of gig work, how to find the better gig jobs (as well as what to avoid), your legal rights, and what to expect at tax time when you are paid on a 1099 instead of a W-2.

Our mission is to help people create a better work life. Our goal is to maintain a one-stop, comprehensive resource for workers navigating the gig economy, in addition to information about the world of work in general. Because the gig economy is constantly evolving, we are interested in your stories. How have you made gig work work for you? What kinds of resources and services would help you transition to freelance