The Gigging Times : Corona Diary April 2' 2020

Covid 19 lock down unlocked the potential of gig works. This was existing from 1915, a word coined by Jazz Mucisians which referred to performances.

After the great depression in 1930s, gig jobs started emerging, people who could not move from one place to another started freelancing.

Gig is a term that refers to part time or freelance work. It was predicted that by 2021 gig jobs will out number traditional jobs referring to its evolution from 1940s when temporary agencies rose and in 1995, 10% of Americans worked in alternative employment.

In 1999, upwork a platform that listed gig jobs and today it is the largest global freelancing website.

Then came Amazon, Airbnb, Uber etc. but small and medium enterprises never thought they can also offer gigs. It was a myth that only IT companies could provide work from home opportunities. It is just working from a remote location.

The potential was unleashed by Corona and now all organizations that are actively operating during this lock down are all being controlled from remote locations. This situation proved that certain works that were assumed to be a job that requires presence of an employee at work site can also be done from a remote location.

It is not just about getting the work done but also on how effectively it can be done and how well the productivity of employees can be measured and reviewed on a day to day basis.

Now all are used to this gig system and the economy will gradually become a gig economy which will open up job opportunities to people who preferred or could work only from a remote location.

All this is possible only because of advancements in technology and penetration of internet even in rural areas. All it needs is connectivity.

We are trying to bring in a gig culture in small enterprises as it will be beneficial to reactivate hidden talents and opportunities in people who preferred not to work because of distance of work location from place of residence, is committed to take care of kids or elders at home, is physically challenged to travel to a work place. This will help organizations in reducing cost as well.

In few months, here in Kochi, we can see many people working from home that which will improve the status of living of people as well as engage educated women in the society as well as improve productivity.

It's going to be a paradigm shift in the work culture and practices followed in MSME sector.

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