The Upsurge in Uncertain Work

[think]

Cross posted from Good Reads:

The Upsurge in Uncertain Work

By Robert Reich - SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2015

As Labor Day looms, more Americans than ever don’t know how much they’ll be earning next week or even tomorrow.

This varied group includes independent contractors, temporary workers, the self-employed, part-timers, freelancers, and free agents. Most file 1099s rather than W2s, for tax purposes.

On demand and on call – in the “share” economy, the “gig” economy, or, more prosaically, the “irregular” economy – the result is the same: no predictable earnings or hours.

It’s the biggest change in the American workforce in over a century, and it’s happening at lightening speed. It’s estimated that in five years over 40 percent of the American labor force will have uncertain work; in a decade, most of us.

Increasingly, businesses need only a relatively small pool of “talent” anchored in the enterprise – innovators and strategists responsible for the firm’s unique competitive strength.

Everyone else is becoming fungible, sought only for their reliability and low cost....

Read more:
http://robertreich.org/post/127426324745

[MineralMan]

1. It's different if you CHOOSE to go it on your own.

That's what I did in 1974. I knew that my income would be variable and uncertain, but I made the choice to work for myself, mostly as a freelance journalist, but also as he owner of several small businesses over time. I made that choice, for better or worse. I'm still doing it, too, at age 70. It's challenging, fun, and a little worrying at times.

However, for those who do not choose this way of earning a living, it's very different. When it's not a choice, the uncertainty and challenging aspects become a real negative. When you are forced into the "gig economy," it's not the same thing at all. Uber may sound like an interesting way to make money, but if you read discussions from people who are actually doing it, it's clear that it's not all that it appears to be.

Lots of people make the risky choice to be self-employed. Others are forced into that. It can work, but only if you're prepared for the uncertainties. Even then, it takes a certain mind-set to succeed as a self-employed person. I'm glad I made that choice, most of the time. I'm glad, too, that I had the choice available.

I worry for the people who have had it imposed on them. It's not for everybody, by any means.