What is the so-called "gig" economy, a phrase increasingly in use, and seemingly so in connection with employment disputes? The term "gig" is a slang word meaning "a job for a specified period of time" and is typically used in referring to musicians.
According to one definition, it is "a labour market characterised by the (1)____________ of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs".
And - taking opposing (2)__________ viewpoints - it is either a working environment that offers flexibility with regard to employment hours, or... it is a form of exploitation with very little workplace protection.
Flexibility
In the gig economy, instead of a regular (3)_______, workers get paid for the "gigs" they do, such as a food delivery or a car journey, it is a casualized work.
In the UK it's estimated that five million people are employed in this type of capacity.
Jobs include couriers, ride-hailing drivers and freelancers.
Proponents of the gig economy (4)_________ that people can benefit from flexible hours, with control over how much time they can work as they juggle other priorities in their lives, they also think it avoid red tape for employers.
In addition, the flexible nature often offers benefits to employers, as they only pay when the work is available, and don't (5)___________ staff costs when the demand is not there.
Meanwhile, workers in the gig economy are classed as independent contractors.
That means they have no protection against unfair dismissal, no right to (6)___________ payments, and no right to receive the national minimum wage, paid holiday or sickness pay.
It is these aspects that are proving contentious.
According to an study, in USA by 2020, 40 percent of workers would be independent contractors. There are a number of forces behind the rise in short-term jobs. For one thing, in the digital age, the workforce is increasingly mobile and work can increasingly be done from anywhere, so that job and location are decoupled. That means that freelancers can select among temporary jobs and projects around the world, while employers can select the best individuals for specific projects from a larger pool than that available in any given area.
Digitization has also contributed directly to a decrease in jobs as software replaces some types of work to maximize time efficiency. Other influences include financial pressures on businesses leading to a flexible workforce and the entrance of the Milennial generation into the labor market. The current reality is that people tend to change jobs several times throughout their working lives and the gig economy can be seen as an evolution of that (7)_______.
victories
Last October Uber drivers in the UK won the right to be classed as workers rather than independent contractors.
The (8)___________ by a London employment tribunal meant drivers for the ride-hailing app would be entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and the national minimum wage.
And, also towards the end of last year, a group of food takeaway couriers working for Deliveroo said they were taking legal steps in the UK to gain union recognition and workers' rights.
zero hours contracts
One difference worth noting is that workers in the gig economy differ slightly from those on zero-hours contracts.
Like workers in the gig economy, zero-hours contractors - or casual contractors - don't get guaranteed hours or much job security from their employer.
But people on zero-hours contracts are seen as employees in some sense, as they are entitled to holiday pay. But, like those in the gig economy, they are not entitled to sick pay.
What Is Outsourcing?
Outsourcing is the business practice of hiring a party outside a company to perform services and create goods that traditionally were performed in-house by the company's own employees and staff.
the benefits of outsourcing are: you don’t have to hire more employees, access to a larger talent pool, lower labour cost.
the cons are: conflicts with the in-house employees, problems with quality, lack of control, communication issues (different time zones, reliable internet connection, method of communication)
EXERCISES
1. Put the words in the blank spaces
a. claim b. incur c. trend d. redundancy e. partisan f. ruling g. wage
h. prevalence
2. Find in the text the synonims to the following words or expressions:
POLEMICAL APPLICANTS FOR A JOB PAPERWORK
FIRING DISCONNECTED
3. choose A, B, C from the following questions
1. what is the meaning of "capacity" in paragraph 3?
a.- the ability to do something
b.- a role
c.- a maximun potentiality
2. what is "ride-hailing" in paragraph 3?
a.- used for or involved in the activity of asking for a car and driver to come immediately and take you somewhere
b.- the sharing of car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car
c.- both 3. meaning of "juggle" in paragraph 3?
a.- throw objects in the air
b.- manipulate data
c.- do many tasks at once
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