Gig Economy

Introduction

In this theme we are looking at The Gig Economy.

The gig economy definition encompasses all sorts of contingent work arrangements, for example freelancers, consultants and temporary contract workers but also Uber and airbnb are examples of the Gig Economy. It’s also called the Sharing economy.

What are you going to do?
We look at characteristics of this new way of working with its advantages and disadvantages. We look at how teens will be better placed for work opportunities as a result of growing up in the Gig economy, and finally we look at how the CEO’s of these companies have navigated their way through to make their ideas successful.

What about you?
With short term contracts now commonplace in today’s business arena
as a student you can benefit from the Gig Economy by working alongside your studies.
Do you think this would be a benefit for you?

Need to know

What do you need to know?
At the end of this theme, you should be able to talk about Gig Economy with ease.
But you don't have to be able to do all this perfectly right away! If you take the following lessons you'll find out what you need to know!

Mindmap
Create your Gig Economy mindmap
First place the topic 'Gig Economy' in the middle.
Think of at least ten words you associate with Gig Economy.
Make your mindmap.
Read the toolbox below for tips how to make your mindmap.

Mindmap maken

Woorden bij een onderwerp bedenken en met elkaar verbinden.

Can do

In this theme you will focus on the following 'can do' statements.

Listening B2

I can understand audio material about holidays and can fill in the gaps to complete sentences.
I can understand in detail what is said in a video about sharing economy and can answer questions in my own words.
I can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar.
I can understand most TV news and current affairs programmes and can identify the speaker's mood, tone etc.
I can understand the majority of films in standard dialect.
I can use a variety of strategies to achieve comprehension, including for main points; checking comprehension by using contextual clues.

Reading C1

I can understand an interview about upstarts in which the writer takes a particular point of view.
I can understand texts about current topics in which the writer takes a particular point of view.
I can understand a text about the gig economy in detail, can mention advantages and disadvantages according to the author, and I can also give my own point of view.
I can read quickly a text about growing up in the Gig economy to check if my ideas were mentioned. I can understand in detail the text, so I can answer questions about the text.

Speaking B2

I can give opinions, points of view and comments on subjects.
I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction about jobs and ways of working with a classmate quite possible.
I can interact with a degree of fluency about 'start ups' and CEO's and describe their characteristics.
I can take an active part in a debate about the motion: should teenagers be allowed to have a job. I can account for and sustain my views clearly.
I can explain a viewpoint, giving the advantages and disadvantages about growing up and getting work in a gig economy.
I can give a 3-minute speech about my opinion on future ways of working in the gig economy.

Writing B2

I can write a plan how to create a new shopping delivery app. You can describe why it will benefit your target market.
I can write clear, detailed questions to interview students for a job. I can write down specific qualities to do that job.
I write a summary of the main idea and important information of a text 'how Covid-19 has transformed the Gig Economy'.
I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.
I can make notes while someone is talking or write a letter including non-standard requests.

To do

The theme Gig Economy contains an introduction, three sections and a final project.
In the schedule below, you can see the titles of the sections and an estimate of the time required for each part.

Lesson	Title		Time
Introduction	Introduction Need to know Can do To do		0,5 hour
Lesson 1	What is Gig Economy?	Read, speak and write about what is Gig Economy. Grammar: inversions	3-4 hours
Lesson 2	Growing up in the Gig Economy	Read about Growing up teens and the Gig Economy and speak about getting work in the Gig Economy. Grammar: future tense	3-4 hours
Lesson 3	The Upstarts	Read an interview about Upstarts en speak about upstarts and CEO's.	3-4 hours
Finishing touch	Final Project: A speech		3 hours
	Oefenprogramma Engels	Practise with the 'Oefenprogramma Engels'.
	Examentraining	Prepare for exams: practise taking past versions.
	Evaluatie	Answer evaluation questions, what did you learn?
	Total		less than 20 hours

*hour = lesuur. Eén lesuur komt ongeveer overeen met 2 SLU.

Lessons

What is Gig Economy?

Introduction

In this first section we look at what the sharing economy, or gig economy as it’s also called, really means. We’ll take a look at why the emphasis is on sharing, and what it is that people are sharing.
This economy works slightly differently and so issues like job rights and protection come up. We ask whether or not this is a viable long-term employment solution. But first, let’s have a look at part time jobs for students.

This first section contains 6 steps. Work them through step by step.

Step	Activity
	Introduction	Find out what you already know.
Step 1	Speaking	Answer questions about jobs. Discuss these with a classmate. Tick names of gig economy list. Explain what these organisations do.
Step 2	Watching	Watch a video about the Sharing Economy. Answer questions.
Step 3	Reading	Make a note of five disadvantages of this way of working. Read a text and answer questions in your own words.
Step 4	Words	Choose correct definition of some words from the text. Complete sentences with these words.
Step 5	Grammar	Theory about inversions. Two exercises about inversions.
Step 6	Task	Create with a classmate a sharing economy app for shopping delivery. Brainstorm about ideas.
	Evaluation	Reflecting on what you have learned.

Difficult words? Search these on Cambridge Dictionaries

Step 1 - Speaking

Step 2 - Video watching

You are going to watch a video, which explains what The Sharing Economy means.

What do you think so far about the Sharing Economy?
Is it generally a positive development of the 21st century? Why?
Note down at least three reasons.

Step 3 - Reading

In Step 2 you watched a video that presented the Sharing Economy as a vibrant 21st century development.
But now you’re going to read about why people may not be so contented with this way of working.

Make a note of five disadvantages of this way of working:
You only get paid when you work.

Now read the article – were your ideas mentioned?

That means they have no protection against unfair dismissal, no right to redundancy payments, and no right to receive the national minimum wage, paid holiday or sickness pay. It is these aspects that are proving contentious.
In the past few months, two tribunal hearings have gone against employers looking to classify staff as independent contractors.
Last October Uber drivers in the UK won the right to be classed as workers rather than independent contractors. The ruling by a London employment tribunal meant drivers for the ride-hailing app would be entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and the national minimum wage.
The GMB union described the decision as a "monumental victory" for some 40,000 drivers in England and Wales. In December, Uber launched an appeal against the ruling that it had acted unlawfully.

And hardly had the courts finished with one case, than a tribunal found that Maggie Dewhurst, a courier with logistics firm City Sprint, should be classed as a worker rather than independent contractor, entitling her to basic rights. And, also towards the end of last year, a group of food takeaway couriers working for Deliveroo said they were taking legal steps in the UK to gain union recognition and workers' rights. One difference worth noting is that workers in the gig economy differ slightly from those on zero hours contracts. Those are the - also controversial - arrangements used by companies such as Sports Direct, JD Wetherspoons and Cineworld. Like workers in the gig economy, zero-hours contractors - or casual contractors - don't get guaranteed hours or much job security from their employer. But people on zero-hours contracts are seen as employees in some sense, as they are entitled to holiday pay.
But, like those in the gig economy, they are not entitled to sick pay. Meanwhile, the Department for Business is holding an inquiry into a range of working practices - including the gig economy.
The department says it wants to ensure its employment rules are up to date to reflect "new ways of working". The status of gig economy workers is of importance to the government, as last November's Autumn Statement showed for the first time how it is cutting into the government's tax take. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that in 2020-21 it will cost the Treasury £3.5bn. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said then he would look to find more effective ways to tax workers in the UK's current shifting labour environment.

^{Source: www.bbc.co.uk}

Step 4 - Words

In the exercise choose the correct definition of the words from the text What is the 'gig' Economy?.

What is the 'gig' economy?
By Bill Wilson
Business reporter, BBC News
10 February 2017
From the section Business

What is the so-called "gig" economy, a phrase increasingly in use, and seemingly so in connection with employment disputes?
According to one definition, it is "a labour market characterised by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work, as opposed to permanent jobs". And - taking opposing partisan viewpoints - it is either a working environment that offers flexibility with regard to employment hours, or... it is a form of exploitation with very little workplace protection.
The latest attempt to bring a degree of legal clarity to the employment status of people in the gig economy has been playing out in the Court of Appeal. A London firm, Pimlico Plumbers, on Friday lost its appeal against a previous ruling that said one of its long-serving plumbers was a worker - entitled to basic rights, including holiday pay - rather than an independent contractor. Like other cases of a similar nature, such as those involving Uber and Deliveroo, the outcome will now be closely scrutinised for what it means regarding the workplace rights of the millions of people employed in the gig economy in the UK.

In the gig economy, instead of a regular wage, workers get paid for the "gigs" they do, such as a food delivery or a car journey. In the UK it's estimated that five million people are employed in this type of capacity. Not only do jobs include couriers but also ride-hailing drivers and video producers.
Proponents of the gig economy claim that people can benefit from flexible hours, with control over how much time they can work as they juggle other priorities in their lives. In addition, the flexible nature often offers benefits to employers, as they only pay when the work is available, and don't incur staff costs when the demand is not there.
Meanwhile, workers in the gig economy are classed as independent contractors.

That means they have no protection against unfair dismissal, no right to redundancy payments, and no right to receive the national minimum wage, paid holiday or sickness pay. It is these aspects that are proving contentious.
In the past few months, two tribunal hearings have gone against employers looking to classify staff as independent contractors.
Last October Uber drivers in the UK won the right to be classed as workers rather than independent contractors. The ruling by a London employment tribunal meant drivers for the ride-hailing app would be entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and the national minimum wage.
The GMB union described the decision as a "monumental victory" for some 40,000 drivers in England and Wales. In December, Uber launched an appeal against the ruling that it had acted unlawfully.

And hardly had the courts finished with one case, than a tribunal found that Maggie Dewhurst, a courier with logistics firm City Sprint, should be classed as a worker rather than independent contractor, entitling her to basic rights. And, also towards the end of last year, a group of food takeaway couriers working for Deliveroo said they were taking legal steps in the UK to gain union recognition and workers' rights. One difference worth noting is that workers in the gig economy differ slightly from those on zero hours contracts. Those are the - also controversial - arrangements used by companies such as Sports Direct, JD Wetherspoons and Cineworld. Like workers in the gig economy, zero-hours contractors - or casual contractors - don't get guaranteed hours or much job security from their employer. But people on zero-hours contracts are seen as employees in some sense, as they are entitled to holiday pay.
But, like those in the gig economy, they are not entitled to sick pay. Meanwhile, the Department for Business is holding an inquiry into a range of working practices - including the gig economy.
The department says it wants to ensure its employment rules are up to date to reflect "new ways of working". The status of gig economy workers is of importance to the government, as last November's Autumn Statement showed for the first time how it is cutting into the government's tax take. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimated that in 2020-21 it will cost the Treasury £3.5bn. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said then he would look to find more effective ways to tax workers in the UK's current shifting labour environment.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38930048

Complete the sentences with the words from Exercise 1.

Step 5 - Grammar

Let's look at ...inversions.
Not only do jobs include couriers but also ride-hailing drivers and video producers.
Hardly had the courts finished with one case, than a tribunal found that Maggie Dewhurst, a courier with logistics firm City Sprint, should be classed as a worker rather than independent contractor, entitling her to basic rights.

Study the Grammar Desk to learn more about inversions.

Inversions

Complete the sentences with the words in brackets.
Put these in the correct tense and the correct order.

Step 6 - Task

With your partner, you are going to create a new sharing economy app.
It’s going to be a shopping delivery app for your town/village.
Answer the questions. Brainstorm some ideas using these questions to help you.

What will your app do? (i.e. which markets will it connect?)
Think of things that people do themselves and think whether you could do it for them.
Think of a catchy name for your app/website.
Write a short description of your idea (180–250 words)
saying why it will benefit your target market.

Evaluation

Fill in this schedule and answer the questions below.

(Copy to Word or write down in your notebook)

Activity		Needs Improvement	Satisfactory, good	Excellent
Step 1 - Speaking	I can answer questions about jobs and discuss these with a classmate. I can tick names of gig economy list and explain what these organisations do.
Step 2 - Watching	I can watch and understand the video about the Sharing Economy and answer the questions.
Step 3 - Reading	I can make a note of five disadvantages of this way of working. I can read and understand a text and answer questions in my own words.
Step 4 - Words	I can choose the correct definition of some words from the text and complete sentences with these words.
Step 5 - Grammar	I understand and can use the grammar 'inversions'.
Step 6 - Task	I can do the writing task.

What have you learnt in this period?
Answer the following questions:

What was the easiest part of this lesson?
What was the most difficult part?
What did you already know?
What was new to you in this lesson?
What do you have to ask your teacher?