How well do universities prepare students to work independently in the Gig Economy? Today’s graduates are joining a workforce where the Gig Economy — including consultants, independent contractors, freelancers, side giggers, and on-demand workers — makes up an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. workforce. They’re also facing an economy in which alternative work arrangements are growing faster than traditional full-time jobs, and are only projected to keep growing. The recent news that the majority of Google’s workforce is made up of independent and temporary workers rather than full-time employees is just one example of the rapid transformation of the corporate workforce.
Universities Should Be Preparing Students for the Gig Economy
Full-time jobs aren’t the only way to be successful.
October 03, 2019
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Summary.
This year’s graduates are joining a workforce where the Gig Economy — made up of consultants, independent contractors, freelancers, side giggers, and on-demand workers — has grown to an estimated 30-40% of the U.S. workforce. Despite this trend, universities have yet to integrate the study or practice of the Gig Economy into the curriculum and career services that they offer to their students. Instead, they continue to educate and prepare students to become full-time employees in full-time jobs that no longer exist. It’s a disservice to students who will graduate ill-equipped to thrive as independent workers. To succeed, students need to learn how to be self-employed, entrepreneurial, and how to run a small business, because increasingly, that’s what each of us is and will do for at least some part of our careers.