May 2019
Background Note
HBS Case Collection

The Gig Economy: Leasing Skills to Pay the Bills

By: Joseph Fuller, William R. Kerr and Carl Kreitzberg

Format:Print
| Language:English
| Pages:26

Abstract

This primer provides a comprehensive exploration into the gig economy and how it is reshaping global business. It shows how the Uber driver, the freelancing programmer in India, and the independent corporate consultant are all different variants of the modern-day gig workers. In doing so, this document addresses the following questions: • What are gigs and who performs them? • What is the size of the gig economy? How big will it get? • What types of gig work are available, and how do they differ from one another? • What are major trends in the gig economy, and how could technology disrupt this space? • What are the key management and legal issues for companies that use gig workers? • What has been the recent legal and regulatory history of the gig economy?

Keywords

Gig Economy; Talent and Talent Management; Human Resources; Labor; Strategy; Management; Globalization; North America; Europe; United States; United Kingdom

Citation

Fuller, Joseph, William R. Kerr, and Carl Kreitzberg. "The Gig Economy: Leasing Skills to Pay the Bills." Harvard Business School Background Note 819-146, May 2019.