Survive and thrive in the gig economy

HAVING a permanent, structured job with a fixed pay at the end of each month, is an invention of the Industrial Revolution of the late-18th Century. Today, the world’s economy is moving back to the old, pre-industrial practice where workers performed tasks on demand and were paid specifically after each piece of work or gig was completed.

As the gig economy evolves, even current jobs in the Civil Service should become gigs as technology and software automation make much government paper work unnecessary.

Every task will be paid for according to deliverables; consequently everyone will be an on-demand, ad hoc service provider.

Nine-to-five job tenure will disappear. We will have no assurance of full-time permanent employment and a steady monthly income until retirement. In fact, there will be no retirement. You can work until you give up the ghost, so to speak.

There are already many old-time job posts where workers performs only on demand. Examples are carpenters, lorry attendants loading and unloading cargoes, construction workers, taxi drivers, real-estate agents, insurance agents, exhibition booth attendants, hair-dressers (mostly in the weeks before Chinese New Year), home tutors, and plumbers.

Today and in the near future, sophisticated jobs like software programming, legal documentation and surgery will be performed similarly to the way you sell a house, service a car, or organised an event.

To ready yourself to join the gig economy, here’re three courses of action you must undertake. Like the legs of a tripod, they’re all equally important:

1. Change your attitude.

Get rid of the perception that there are permanent jobs with a fixed salary waiting for you when you lose your present one.

Job counsellors are now telling job-seekers, particularly fresh graduates and late-middle-agers, to embrace uncertainty and think like a freelancer. Be flexibility in your expectation. Do not expect prospective jobs to be permanent. When you’re working (whether full-time or freelance), think continually where your next rice bowl will be coming from.

2. Develop two different sets of skills that you can sell as a service. The Bible gives an example of a well-known evangelist called Paul who worked as a tent-maker or gospel preacher, depending on what was required of him at a particular time.

Consider these skills (in no particular order of importance):

● Story-telling and narrative writing

Learn and master narrative-writing (i.e. writing content to tell a story, or to describe and promote a product, a service, a course of study, an event or a location). Writers who can develop compelling content (also known as stories) are in high demand. Today, advertising is irrelevant, hence the need for content marketing where stories are embedded into non-commercial stories or narratives.

● Working with your hands

These include household repairs, barbering, car servicing (still a lucrative trade even in bad times), art illustration (designers and book illustrators are always needed), Chinese TCM therapy, French cooking or preparing speciality coffee.

● Managing young children and elder care

There are always many different jobs at kindergartens, childcare centres and nursing homes. Courses are available for you to acquire the knowledge for these.

● Digital branding & marketing

Most bosses don’t have time to post their thoughts, ideas and experience on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media. They are quite happy to have someone do so. If you’re familiar with the process and the functions because you’ve been doing so for yourself, do so now for someone who is willing to pay.

3. Keep yourself well-informed on the economy

Change is the only constant. Many technologies that we have not dreamt of, will come with disruptive (and devastating) effect on our society and work culture. Today, it’s the gig economy, tomorrow it will be something utterly different.

It bears repeating that you keep yourself abreast of new developments and trends, and constantly upgrade and re-skill, so that you remain relevant, always.