How is this for a staggering statistic: the USA predicts that 40% of the workforce will be ‘unemployed’ by 2020. This doe not necessary mean that the people will be without jobs. It means that people will be used in a more variable way – instead of having a job, you’ll have a ‘gig’.
The ‘gig’ is essentially a contract job. You will sell your service (probably via the internet). The official term is giganomics. Here is a more formal definition:
- Giganomics: combining multiples skills, talents and abilities to generate income for living. Taken from the old musical term “gig” which means a performance. Many “gigs” in a variety of disciplines, when worked together, can provide a liveable income.
What this all means is that you might find yourself having to sell yourself more effectively and a lot more often!
Right now you can access internet sites like Fiverr (click here) and Recruit My Mom (click here) and find people to do just about anything for you, from designing a webpage to writing an entire book to even managing your sales force! The cost is relatively palatable and the trail of recommendations from other users give you a good idea of what to expect.
But the best part is that you can buy services that you can use as-and-when and only pay for the time that you use. In other words, you can keep a lot of what would otherwise need to be fixed expenses (salaries and wages) and keep them variable. And, utilise a system of referencing from other users to access the effectiveness of the service provider.
The other significant advantage is that the service provider does not need to be housed on your business premises (which could be your study at home!) and you can communicate regularly via Skype/Zoom at minimum cost.
Expect to see a lot more of this in the nearer term! Maybe it is even something you could even consider for yourself – outsourcing your services via the internet.
And here is an interesting rider: the future of the traditional office is under serious disruption! What is described above is a phenomenon called a ‘virtual office’, and it is definitely becoming more popular. With some of the disruptive technologies like virtual reality and drones, the office as we know it, could become extinct!