How To Adapt To A Gig Based Economy

At the 2019 Skills Fair Conference organized by Enabel Uganda, one of the keynote speakers, Simon Kaheru stated that today many Ugandans are operating in a ‘Gig based Economy“. I paused for a second and reflected on that statement and it actually made alot of sense basing on how many people today are negotiating for short term work agreements with organizations.

Then i watched this the video explaining Gig based Economy and it’s effects

For years, the traditional “8-5” job was able to cater for one’s family needs but with today’s fast economy and companies resorting to Artificial Intelligence with emergence of digital tools that can replace human labour within a second, it is important to have competence in very many things. Today, some Organizations see offering short term work contracts as a cost effective method in operational costs as well as giving workers more flexibility to engage in multiple tasks and generate more income.

Case in point is today, social media influencers work for many brands but promote their products on personal accounts. You can promote Sadolin Paint today, a new flavored drink tomorrow, a trending event after 2 days and all these are different companies who are paying for your digital services but only temporarily.

 

What does this mean?

This means it’s high time you rethought your work strategy to fit in today’s working and economic climate. Find multiple things you are good at that can bring different streams of revenue because that “8-5” won’t pay all your bills.

Train yourself in as many things as possible. You can use the internet that is widely accessed by many today. We have the opportunity to learn on our own unlike way back when you could only seek knowledge from experts in training institutions.

Tertiary skills are also a gateway to seeking your own employment and surviving through the economy. After mastering your craft, you are able to set prices of your commodities and earn a sizable amount of profit.

Always seek self improvement in your work by continuous reading and research in areas you are good at because with Artificial Intelligence taking over, you can easily be replaced and left with no survival skill set.

Embrace and learn the digital trends and ways of doing work today. Many companies are digitizing their operations and it would be important to have an upper hand in this area in order to remain relevant in today’s work environment.

Tumwine Edward

Communications Consultant Ultimate Multimedia Consult