gig economy

[ gig i-kon-uh-mee ]

noun

, Slang.

1. an economic sector consisting of part-time, temporary, and freelance jobs:

   rapid growth of the online gig economy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of gig economy¹

First recorded in 2005–10; gig ¹( def ) (in the sense “a job of uncertain duration”) + economy ( def )

Example Sentences

The so-called gig economy was in its infancy, with Uber launching and TaskRabbit starting to go national.

From ProPublica

Unlike many other gig economy companies that offer relatively low pay, Field Day is paying $25 an hour.

From Search Engine Land

Unlike gig economy models, it employs riders directly and is emphasising its ability to get fresh groceries, along with other household items, to shoppers at very short notice and at “retail prices”.

From TechCrunch

The gig economy companies realize there needs to be more of a middle ground, so they’ll be stepping up.

From Fortune

Education technology services have created a teacher gig economy over the past few years.

From TechCrunch

To people I know in the bottom income brackets, living paycheck to paycheck, the Gig Economy has been old news for years.

From The Daily Beast