Paradox: The gig-economy creates jobs – and destroys them

Platforms like Uber, Upwork and Taskrabbit allow lots of people to get started on the job market and build a portfolio of gigs to support themselves. It’s great, if there are no conventional, steady jobs available – or if you don’t want a full time job and a boss. It’s an opening for many who might otherwise find it very hard to find any employment.

If you are coming from below, it’s a step onto a ladder, that could lead to a better income. But if you are coming from a steady job with regular salary and benefits, the ”gig-economy” may look more like a step down into uncertainty and hustling.

Furthermore, as employers discover the flexibility and savings from using on-demand workers, more people will find that their job has been outsourced to the net. In that respect, the gig-economy is replacing relatively steady jobs with well-defined rights and conditions for the worker with a very different category of employment. 
Serfs or micro-entrepreneurs… it depends where you are coming from.