Article: The Shift to a "Gig Economy"

Richard Greenwald, writer and historian of Work, published this blog entry on Huffington Post that makes an excellent point: while everyone is paying attention to the short term economy, almost no one is paying attention to a fundamental shift in the nature of work and the growing numbers of freelancers in the economy.  Check it out:

Contingent, Transient and at Risk: Modern Workers in a Gig Economy

 America is transforming before our eyes, and with our focus on the short-term economic crisis, we are blind to what might very well be the most fundamental economic shift of the past 50 years: the nine-to-five, 40-hour-week job with benefits and some security is fast going the way of the compact disc. It still exists, barely, but is more of an echo than a modern reality. According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report...Continued here.

The Growing Trend: Employees as Free Agents

This article from the website Gigaom makes the point that you don't have to start your own business to be a free agent:
Is the Free Agent Mindset Infecting Employees Too?

Is the free agent mindset infecting employees too?

By Jessica Stillman Jun. 21, 2012, 9:35am PT 2 Comments

 
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You have probably heard about the rise of the independent worker and the impact of this trend on career trajectories and business practices. But perhaps your team is still entirely made up of traditional employees, so while the shift towards gig-based careers is something every business person needs to keep an eye on, it doesn’t affect your day-to-day management, does it?

Continuted here

Double Whammy faced by many: Over-50 and Long Term Unemployed

The elephant in the interview room: Are you being passed over because of age?

“I can see the look in people’s eyes when they first greet me,” says Bill Wood, a 64-year-old from Minneapolis, Minn., who is looking for a job in information technology. “It seems to say, ‘This guy is going to retire soon; we don’t want a short-term permanent employee.’”

Cyndi Pauwels, a writer in her 50s from Yellow Springs, Ohio, has had similar experiences. “I was told (second-hand, off-the-record) by a headhunter, ‘We don’t hire older workers.’ I’ve read that the longer I’m unemployed, the less likely my chances are of finding anything, and I’m beginning to believe it.”

Read more here.