gig worker

noun

plural gig workers

: a person who works temporary jobs typically in the service sector as an independent contractor or freelancer : a worker in the gig economy

Gig workers have freedoms that most full-timers only dream of: setting their own hours, working from home, being their own bosses. No wonder the gig economy comprised 16 percent of all workers by 2015, according to research by economists Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger.

—Andy Sullivan

In addition to having more stable space, the affluent often have greater latitude to remain inside it. They can work on Zoom, shop on Amazon and have gig workers deliver meals.

—Jason DeParle

Examples of gig worker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In early 2024, the Biden administration issued a new rule that narrows down the definition of independent contractors, aiming to reclassify more gig workers as regular employees. —Jack Thorogood, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025

Health coverage can thus remain out of reach for seasonal and temporary workers, part-time employees and gig workers. —Sumit Agarwal, The Conversation, 3 July 2025

One of the busiest airports in the world has become a difficult place for gig workers to earn a living. —Eli Tan, New York Times, 14 May 2025

Good Fortune, which first dropped a trailer at CinemaCon 2024, follows a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel, played by Reeves, who meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen). —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gig worker

• caseworker
• coworker
• farmworker
• woodworker