Future of Work

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Narrator

Not all short-term jobs are low paid. TaskRabbit is an app and a website that connects taskers and clients to do odd jobs, which we call tasks. Anything from furniture assembly to errands, to organization. I'm Chloe. For four years, I've used TaskRabbit. From my side, as a tasker, I would open the app and mark off my availability. And then hopefully, I get a client who books me in that time. They describe the task that they want done, how long they think it would take, and then book them on the schedule and then show up. (upbeat music) -

Narrator

There is a new gig economy, fueled by technological advancements. (upbeat music continues) It operates through digital platforms like Uber, Lyft and TaskRabbit. The gig worker has grown out of the use of company platforms. What the person is doing is looking for customers. What the platform is doing is linking them to customers. What I love about TaskRabbit is that it's really flexible. I set my own schedule. I set my own rates. I know what I'm agreeing to. -

Narrator

For both clients and workers, there are no long-term obligations. When the job is done, the relationship is over. Work and the way that we see work is changing. It's no longer this rigid like, nine to five idea. It's a lot more flexible and apps definitely give you that sense of freedom and flexibility. Any spare time you have, you can start earning income during those times, which is definitely different from your traditional, "I have one job and that's the only basis of income." -

Narrator

Today, more than 55 million Americans work in the gig economy. For some like Chloe, it provides flexibility and freedom. For others, it introduced even more financial insecurity. So there's almost two Americas that exist right now. This America that feels basically safe and can think about things besides paying their bills. And an America that is constantly afraid. And so for those people, the gig economy is not liberation, it's just survival. It's a way to make ends meet when your regular job has already failed you. (crowd yelling) The work is being further fragmented in terms of part-time, full-time, independent contractors, gig work. Part of the people are saying, "Well, isn't this great? People have more freedom." On the other hand, I'd like to talk to them after five or 10 years to see where they are economically, when they have no health insurance and no pension.