What is the Gig Economy and what are its prospects and possible effects on the economies of developed countries? He talked about it Alan Krueger, former economic adviser to Obama and professor at Princeton, at a recent conference organized by Global Thinking Foundation, born with the mission of promoting financial education.
According to Krueger, we are witnessing the diffusion of an economic model in which there are no longer continuous work services, but increasingly on demand. The use of gig workers is based on activities provided occasionally in response to a specific request for services, products or skills.
THE GIG ECONOMY ALTERES THE NATURAL RATE OF EMPLOYMENT
“If the market and technology continue to support this trend – explained Krueger – the Gig Economy is here to stay. The political class will have to take note of this and study the dynamics of the changes underway in depth. The numbers of the phenomenon should help us understand how much the increase in contingent work is affecting workers and employers and how much these developments impact on the global economy and the well-being of families. From a macroeconomic perspective, we have to accept the possibility that the growth of a flexible work regime could alter the natural rate of employment".
WITH THE GIG ECONOMY, FINANCIAL EDUCATION IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
This is why, as Annamaria Lusardi, founder and academic director of the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) said at the same conference, financial education acquires more value. “Financial decisions are part of our life and the economy of the twenty-first century. Just as we fought illiteracy in the past, we must now fight financial illiteracy. And it starts from school. A National Strategy on financial education undoubtedly represents the first brick for building a financial knowledge policy, which implies having a vision for the future and working to build that future together”.
Claudia Segre, president of the Global Thinking Foundation, underlined the need to bridge gender differences, also in terms of financial education. The Foundation shares the efforts of civil society and individuals for social inclusion and for the achievement of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the International Monetary Fund "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls: this is how the fifth of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the IMF recites - declared Segre - A clear and powerful message: there can be no innovation and growth if gender differences are not addressed and an adequate expression of economic capital is not allowed of women in all fields”.
