The Gig Economy

A gig economy is an environment in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. The trend toward a gig economy has begun.

Simply put by the SF Examiner, “The gig economy is a term used to describe the economic activity of people who use digital platforms to earn income. In San Francisco, that means those who drive for Uber or Lyft, sell products via Etsy or Ebay, or rent rooms in their home using Airbnb, as well as others.”

San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell announced the creation of a task force to monitor growth in the “gig economy” made up of the self-employed and contract workers working for online companies. So if you work for PostMates, taskRabbit and anything really that has an online platform but is not full nor part time work- you qualify. The task force will operate out of the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and will provide administrative and policy recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and mayor, Farrell said Monday.

“As a city, I believe we need to explore how 20th century work standards for workers change and evolve in a 21st century economy,” Farrell said. “I believe the role of our government should never be to stifle innovation, but react appropriately to make sure we are still able to deliver the core services our residents expect and deserve. Understanding short-term and long-term employment trends are part of that equation.”

Stay tuned for latest developments. According to Patch Staff, the report from City Controller’s chief economist Ted Egan, also set to be released Tuesday, is perhaps more interesting for the questions it poses, rather than the questions it answers, because many are admittedly left unanswered due to limitations of data.

Source: Rebecca White San Francisco Realtor