Webinar: Sharing Economy 2.0: A Model from the UK for Improving the Gig Economy for Workers
Audio (MP3)
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About this Webinar
The sharing economy is quickly expanding in the US and globally. Often referred to as the “gig economy” or “on-demand economy,” this dynamic collection of online business platforms facilitates a wide variety of exchanges including of property, skills, labor, and space. Common examples include Airbnb (rent a room or your house), Uber (provide rides), TaskRabbit (do chores for others), and Instacart (be a personal grocery shopper). The Economic Opportunities Program recently hosted a panel discussion of the pro’s and con’s of the sharing economy for workers, and one panelist from the UK pointed to a new model that could improve these work markets for workers. With support from the UK government and foundations, Beyond Jobs – an organization in the UK with a mission to unleash a 21st century model of irregular work – has developed an online platform that goes beyond today’s diffused and disconnected sharing economy platforms by creating a centralized database aggregating opportunities and vetted workers. It has the potential to provide a more efficient, predictable, and easier-to-use platform for both workers and consumers. In this webinar, Wingham Rowan, director of Beyond Jobs, provided a background on the platform, gave a tour of the site, discussed potential application in the United States, and answered participant questions.
Featured speaker
Wingham Rowan
Director, Beyond Jobs
Related resources
During the webinar, participants expressed great interest in topics related to the challenges workers face in the sharing economy and ideas for improving the quality of these jobs. We have posted slides from the actual presentation on January 27, 2015, see the webinar slideshow. The Working in America series held a discussion on December 2, 2014 that addressed some of these questions. Watch the discussion and find related resources here.
This event is part of the Working in America series, an ongoing discussion series hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program that highlights an array of critical issues affecting low- and moderate-income workers in the United States and ideas for improving and expanding economic opportunities for working people. For more information, visit as.pn/workinginamerica.
Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #talkgoodjobs.