Posted: 9 August 2020 10:56 AM Subject: RE: Coronavirus
Location: East Sussex. Motorhome: Knaus Boxstar 600 Street
Don636 - 2020-08-08 4:52 PM
Noted a reference to the UKs gig economy and wondered what on earth is that. Turns out is just means self employed people which is nothing new...…….…………………..
It is, as Barry says, a bit more than just that. "Gigs" are one night stand performances by musicians or groups, some of whom are paid from the proceeds only, and then only if the performance earns more than its set-up costs. So casual employment with no security and no certainty of payment.
The advent, as Barry says, of zero hours contracts, where there is no guarantee of employment beyond that offered on the day, and where the individual is expected to be available on demand or will be removed from the employer's list of available workers (think Deliveroo, Uber, etc. but also casual labour in construction, the "black gangs" etc.) led to the term "gig economy" being used as a catch-all for that kind of employment, because those engaged in it had no contracts and hence no reliable source of income.
