"Uber for Nurses," Portable Benefits for Gig Workers, Hybrid Work Weakens Employee Loyalty and More...

Approximately 60 million independent workers in the United States represent $1.5 trillion in U.S. GDP growth. Projections estimate that 50% of our U.S. workforce will be independent workers by 2025- 2030. The Gig Economy represents a trend that will digitally transform the future of work.

I believe that?every organization?in?every industry?needs a Gig Economy strategy. Not having one in 2021 is like missing the internet trend in 1990 or the mobile revolution in 2010.

The Freelance Revolution

The rise of independent contractors and globalization of knowledge work is the Industrial Revolution of our time. We can see the U.S. workforce undergoing a massive structural change everywhere we look.

Minneapolis-based Tech Company Yardstik Lands $8M raise ?- The company has grown from 38 customers in 2020 to 131 customers in 2021, and it plans to use the $8 million raise to hire additional team members to continue product development and evolve its go-to-market strategy.

Ontario to develop a portable benefits system for workers without coverage ?- Ontario intends to create a "portable benefits" system for workers who don't have health, dental, or vision coverage. The package plans to move with the individuals if they change jobs.

Gigable to offer paid leave cover to gig workers ?-?Irish startup Gigable has partnered with European insurance and benefits platform for the gig economy, Collective Benefits, to extend its worker benefits to include paid leave cover.

Is 'Uber for Nurses' Coming to California? ?- A proposal to spread the gig economy to health care this fall could be on the ballot. A group calling itself Californians for Equitable Healthcare Access has filed a measure to classify nurses, dental hygienists, occupational therapists, and other health care workers who find work online as independent contractors.

A union signed a deal with Uber — but drivers have questions. Inside the messy battle for the gig economy ?- A long-time labor activist in his native Pakistan, Butt was now a GTA-based driver for Uber Black's luxury ride-sharing service and a vital part of a new effort to join the United Food formally and Commercial Workers union. The aim was clear: prove that drivers were not independent contractors as the company claimed, but employees with the right to unionize.

The Creator Economy?

The Creator Economy has many similarities to the sharing and gig economies in 2012-2015. Independent talent, technology platforms, and hype. All are driven by the dream of making a living by doing what you love. At over $100B+ the creator economy is just getting started.

YouTube is adding new ways for creators to make money with Shorts and shopping ?-?YouTube is expanding the ways creators can monetize their content, interact with viewers, and generate new ideas for their channels. The new features are being teased today in?a lengthy blog post ?by YouTube's chief product officer, Neal Mohan, and will roll out throughout the year.

Twitter wants in on the creator economy, but it still needs a plan ?-?Twitter CFO Ned Segal said during a?conversation on Spaces ?Thursday that "a lot" of creators are on Twitter and use the platform to build their audience, but they go elsewhere to make money. "We need to do a better job at helping them stay on Twitter for their customers' benefit, for their own benefit, for our benefit," Segal said.

How The Pandemic Has Reshaped The Creator Economy ?- Throughout the past year, many people worldwide have wondered how the new normal would look after the global pandemic reshaped the world and changed everything in our daily lives. In today's world of constant social connectivity, getting attention online has become one of the more effective ways to make a living.

Reselling Gig Work is Tiktok's Newest Side Hustle ?- Service resellers find cheap labor on freelancer platforms like Fiverr and flip services like graphic design or copywriting for profit.?

The Hybrid Workplace

We see unprecedented numbers of companies implementing remote work programs. The way we work has forever changed and will require new skills and leadership approaches.

Hybrid work and the Great Resignation lead to cybersecurity concerns ?- While?The Great Resignation ?has caused many employees to leave their jobs abruptly due to focus on their mental health, this shift in employee numbers has prompted concerns with the way business leaders to view their cybersecurity. According to Code42's?Annual Data Exposure Report , 98% of business leaders, cybersecurity leaders, and cybersecurity practitioners have cybersecurity concerns with the current levels of turnover within their workforce.

Employers beware: hybrid work weakens loyalty ?- In pre-pandemic days, flexible work patterns increased employer loyalty because that was a "privilege for the favored few," says Alan Felstead, author of a new book?Remote Working.

11 Trends that Will Shape Work in 2022 and Beyond ?- We've been living through the most significant workplace disruption in generations, and the level of volatility will not slow down in 2022. New Covid variants will continue to emerge and may temporarily cause workplaces to go remote again.

?Wellness?

We will spend one-third of our lives working, and the disruption to the way we work has never moved faster. This all can impact our overall wellness as we navigate the changing landscape and fight for balance.

?GYMGUYZ Expands Corporate Wellness Services to In-Home as Remote U.S. Workforce Numbers Continue to Grow in 2022 ?– As variants of COVID-19 continue to emerge and cause more employees to work from home, GYMGUYZ will now deliver its corporate wellness services in-home in addition to onsite at corporate locations and facilities.

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PAUL ESTES, the best-selling author of the best-selling book?Gig Mindset ?and is an unstoppable advocate for the simple idea of ensuring that all voices are heard and that all people have access to opportunity. This passion is inspired by the quote from the late?Leila Janah ?"Talent?is equally distributed,?opportunity is not."?Now is the time to address systemic?location bias ?and encourage companies to reach beyond their organizational boundaries to engage the world's best minds.?For 20 years, He struggled to balance his life with fast-moving leadership roles at Dell, Amazon, and Microsoft. He led a team of progressive H.R., procurement, and legal trailblazers to launch Microsoft's Gig Economy freelance program. Hiring his first virtual assistant transformed the way he lived and worked.

Paul is the former host of the Gig Mindset and Talent Economy podcasts. Each week, Paul provides insights and perspective to over 100,000 readers of his weekly LinkedIn newsletter, and he frequently shares his insights as a keynote speaker and panelist.?