gig economy

noun

: economic activity that involves the use of temporary or freelance workers to perform jobs typically in the service sector

One reason the gig economy has taken off: People tend to change jobs more frequently and many enjoy the flexibility of choosing when and where they work.

—Marcia Pledger

While they are still able to work, boomers will be a big part of a subset of the sharing economy that is sometimes called the "gig economy." Gigs are what they sound like: assignments, contracts or part-time jobs.

—Linda Nazareth

Examples of gig economy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 29-year-old spent much of his post-college years in financial limbo, with stints working gig economy jobs to pay down debt bookending a fulfilling, if not very lucrative, few years in the Peace Corps. —Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025

By potentially eliminating the sampling error inherent in the Establishment Survey, this could provide a more accurate picture of the workforce, including the millions of gig economy workers whose data is often missed. —Jeff Gapusan, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Not with a retirement party and a gold watch but with a second career in the gig economy. —Reuven Perlman, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025

The case also signals how regulators may hold technology companies accountable for systemic practices that affect vulnerable populations, setting a precedent that could ripple across the broader gig economy. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

gig entry 1

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gig economy

• deuteronomy
• aeronomy
• agronomy
• astronomy
• autonomy
• gastronomy
• metonymy
• taxonomy