Uberisation of workforce is the new trend, and it may alter your career perspective. Uberisation of workforce, also known as the gig economy, is when companies hire people with skills or talents only for a specific project, and not as full time employees.
Understanding the term also requires that we acknowledge that in India, only drivers with permits can drive Uber, whereas in US, anybody with a car can drive for Uber for specific hours of the day. So Uberisation means you can work for a company as per your suitability and use the flexibility to your benefit.
The IT sector may be leading the pioneering change in India, with Wipro and Infosys considering a mix of permanent and temporary employees. Persistent System in Pune has already hired freelancers and consultants on their short term projects. The key to driving them towards this novel recruitment strategy is the attitude of the millennials.
The traditional theories of motivation, turnover and employee engagement are breaking down as the factors the present generation has a different take on success and career than the previous generations.
The trend is already a hit in US, with a study hinting that the number of on-demand workers is expected to double in the next four years to almost 9.2 million. In India, still only hospitality and E-commerce businesses have an established trend of freelancers, but the changing mind-sets and cost-rationalizations seem to set inclinations towards Uberisation.
But what does the trend mean for the employees? It may mean that you can pursue a full time job while nurturing a new career on the side. It provides immense flexibility to pursue further studies, to look for better opportunities and to get the market worth for your skills, without being bogged down by contractual commitments.
It also means risking the job security, and may hamper stable financial planning. It may also affect the work ethics. But the flexibility it provides is a great boon to explore more than one interest field.
So as the IT and other sectors move towards the gig economy, this generation is given a great opportunity to make the most of technology and other entitlements of this era.
