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Gig Economy: A Research Guide

Gig Types, Search Strategies and Definitions

Images

Carol M. Highsmith An actor poses in Hollywood, California. 2012. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Ben Shahn, photographer. Itinerant photographer in Columbus, Ohio. 1938. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

This section provides a list of gigs economy jobs with descriptions. 

  • Food Delivery: Uses modes of transportation (cars, bicycles, motor bikes, scooter) to pick up food from restaurants or grocery stores and delivers to customers. (Example companies, Instacart, Door Dash)
  • Ride Share: Uses own car to transport customers to desired locations. (Example company, UBER)
  • Freelancer Writer: creates written works like blogs, articles, and websites. 
  • Tutor: Tutors face-to-face or online with various subjects for students. (Example company, Chegg)
  • Virtual Assistant: Performs administrative duties remotely.
  • Dog walker or pet sitter: Cares for animals while owners work or travel. (Example company, Rover)
  • Handyman/Maintenance/Housekeeping: Performs painting, plumbing, furniture assembly, fixing or servicing appliances, and cleaning. (Example company, Handy)
  • Fitness instructor: Offers workout classes online or face-to-face.
  • Home chef: Prepares meals and delivers meals for personal or private events.
  • Barber / Hairdresser: Cares for clients outside a salon setting. 
  • Musician/Performer: Entertains audiences at events, festivals, or parties.
  • Event planning: Plans and coordinates events.
  • Graphic Designing and Branding: Creates visual concepts with computer software. 
  • Project Management: Leads the of a team to achieve project goals. 
  • Photographer & Videographer: Captures still and moving moments.

Gig Search Strategies and Definitions

You can begin searching for gig jobs by visiting company websites such as Fiverr, ZipRecruiter, and Indeed. To find relevant jobs on these platforms, use appropriate search terms to filter out the type of work you seek, such as gig, temporary, freelance, part-time, and contract jobs. Also, use specific job titles based on your skills, such as writer, graphic designer, delivery driver, or virtual assistant. These platforms allow you to filter out the type of job you seek, whether full-time, part-time, or temporary. You can filter job types based on pay, shift, and schedule (weekday, weekend, or overnight). Updating your resumes and profiles on professional work platforms like LinkedIn is essential in the competitive gig economy.

It's important to keep in mind that the terminology used to describe gig work or classify gig workers can vary widely across different industry publications, trade journals, websites, and digital platforms.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), gig work is defined as an alternative or contingent arrangement. Other gig related terms such as independent worker, on-demand worker, self-employed, and temporary worker can be found in the BLS News Release. 1

  • Independent Worker; Refers to workers with traditional arrangements to be in management, business, and financial operations occupations; sales and related occupations; and construction and extraction occupations.
  • Alternative work arrangement: Refers to various flexible work schedules which is an alternative option to a standard workweek.
  • Contingent Worker: Refers to workers who do not have an implicit or explicit contract for ongoing employment.
  • On Demand / On-Call Worker: Refers to workers who report to work only when called.
  • Self-employed; Refers those who rely on their businesses for their primary source of income.
  • Electronically Mediated Employment /Platform Worker: Refers to individuals who find short jobs or tasks that workers find through mobile apps that both connect them with customers and arrange payment for the tasks.

Additional terminology relate to the gig economy industry to can be found in the sources below.

  • Freelancer: Refers to individuals who works short jobs or tasks that workers find through mobile apps that both connect them with customers and arrange payment for the tasks. 2
  • Crowd worker: Refers to individuals who work with many online people who each contribute a small amount of labor.

 

Gig Economy Industry Codes

Understanding the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is essential when discussing the United States. NAICS is a standard classification system used by Federal statistical agencies to categorize business establishments to gather, analyze, and publish statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. NAICS uses a five- or six-digit numbering system to distinguish amongst industries. Using NAICS codes while searching for jobs in the gig economy can be challenging because workers are often classified under closely related sectors. Here are some examples of industry codes for gig workers.  To understand more about NAICS, explore Doing Industry Guide.

Gig Worker Codes
Babysitting 624410
Dog Walking  812910
Food Delivery Services  492210
Handyman 811490
Musician  711130
Photographer 541920
Rideshare  485310

 

Websites

Notes

1. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, News Release. Contingent and Alternative Employment Arrangements-May 2017 External June 7, 2018. Back to text

2. The Economic Times, News Release. What is Freelancer External March 15, 2024. Back to text