The Gig Economy and You

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On IN THE BALANCE this week, we look at the so-called gig economy - where employees are matched to short-term work via online platforms - something which is changing how we all go about looking for work. In the West, it challenges the idea of what people can expect from employment - a job for life with a salary and benefits is becoming less common, causing worry for some. But in other parts of the world it's a different story. In emerging economies, new technologies enable prospective employees to log into places of work on the other side of the world, carry out jobs ranging from coding to legal services, and so it is opening up western jobs markets as never before. It means a greater talent pool and highly competitive pricing, but does it also mean a race to the bottom for terms of employment and wages? We hear from the CEO of the world's biggest online jobs market space, Stephane Kasriel of Upwork, and from a world expert on the global dynamics of the gig economy, Professor Arun Sundararajan of New York’s Stern Business School. We hear from some young job seekers in Nairobi about what they want from their careers, and from start-up entrepreneur Marieme Jamme, who argues that the gig economy is changing the employment game for us all. Presented by Manuela Saragosa. (Photo: A young woman displays a Blackberry in Jakarta. Credit: Romeo Gacad/ AFP/Getty Images)