The gig economy now spans millions of workers across the globe. And these aren’t just professionals engaged in temp jobs in the absence of permanent work. 70% of long-term gig workers say it is a “choice,” and this trend will grow in 2020 and further. In this article, we tell you all about ten gig economy apps that can help you win in this new talent landscape.
In the last decade, the gig economy has steadily gained momentum, changing how we work. A recent report from the ADP Research InstituteOpens a new window studied anonymized data of 8 million workers in 75,000 companies across the world to arrive at a few astonishing findings:
- Between 2010 and 2019, the share of gig workers in businesses increased by 15%.
- 70% of long-term gig workers say that it is a “choice,” and not because they are unable to find a traditional job.
- Over 50% of long-term gig workers stay with the same client company for 12 months.
As you can see, gig employmentOpens a new window is now almost “a way of life” for a large portion of the global workforce, and companies can capitalize on this opportunity significantly. So, how do you find, engage, and retain top-tier gig workers? From specialized, project-based services to contingent workers who fill labor shortage, how do you devise this entire ecosystem?
This is where cutting-edge gig economy apps and platforms can help. These tools serve a variety of functions, including workforce managementOpens a new window , payments, and even employee engagement.
Learn More: How Will California’s Gig Economy Bill Affect Organizations and Gig Workers?Opens a new window
10 Gig Economy Apps to Adopt in 2020
The gig economy app you choose to use will depend on the nature of your business and the type of gig worker you’re looking to hire.
In the U.S., for example, you have short-term employees that come under W-2 taxation and 1099(s) that cover long-term gig employment. A contingent worker to fill a labor shortage in a retail store during the holiday season will come under W-2. A software developer whom the retailer hires to develop an e-commerce app would come under tax form 1099.
But no matter your requirements, a gig economy app is essential for effective management of this new workforce category.
Here is our selection of gig economy apps and platforms for 2020. These are marketplaces that allow employers to hire and manage gig workers on the app/platform.
1. AppJobs GAP
As the name suggests, AppJobs Gig-worker Acquisition Platform (GAP)Opens a new window is an end-to-end solution for hiring gig workers.
The platform does more than just post jobs and collect applications. You can launch a recruitment marketing campaignOpens a new window in over 350 cities across 35 countries. AppJobs GAP comes with a Dedicated Campaign Analyst to guide you on your recruitment marketing journey.
The gig economy is still a nascent space when it comes to recruitment marketing. But as demand for top-tier freelance talent intensifies, HR will have to consider advertising and marketing to gig workers proactively. This is an excellent platform to achieve this. What’s more, AppJobs GAP’s proprietary algorithm targets workers based on their location, language, and interest, giving you maximum returns from every ad.
You can integrate this gig economy app with programmatic ad platforms, media buying agencies, third-party analytics tools, and lots more. This is probably why AppJobs GAP is favorite among companies like Uber and Airbnb, among others.
Pricing for this app starts at $199 per month, for one job post.
Learn More: ADP Research Institutes Recent Report Says Gig Work Is Here to StayOpens a new window
2. Catalant
CatalantOpens a new window is an idea acceleration and execution platform that crowdsources contributions from experts around the world. You can use Catalant to define your business objectives and set the key metrics for the project.
Next, you break down the project into clear areas of execution, highlighting the skills you need for each area. Based on this, you can allocate the resources. This is where Catalant’s expansive gig worker database comes in.
Catalant has a marketplace of 65,000+ independent consultants and 1,000+ agencies to help you complete any project with ease. The app lets you monitor progress across the entire project lifecycle, highlighting skills gaps if any.
You can use the insights generated to inform similar projects in the future.
Catalant is an end-to-end project streamlining platform that’s found resonance with companies like GE, Shell, and others. It contextualizes the gig economy, bringing in on-demand experts where needed and letting you organize all the activities around idea execution on one platform. Owing to its unique value proposition, Catalant has been widely recognized by Gartner.
3. Contently
While ContentlyOpens a new window is popular as a leading content marketing platform, it also has an incredible marketplace of freelance content creators. Contently lists 10,000+ writers, artists, and videographers who have worked for the likes of Wall Street Journal, Wired, Popular Signs, and others. Every professional on the app is trained and certified. Contently also gives you access to a massive global marketplace across 20+ countries.
Once you sign up on the Contently app, you receive personalized recommendations of content creators, spanning text, photography, illustration, and video. The app uses its Intelligent Talent Recommendation algorithm to curate the best gig worker for your project, based on parameters such as past expertise and certifications.
This gig economy app’s USP is that you can benefit from the expertise of highly specialized content creators in areas such as IT, cybersecurity, wealth management, and several other niche topics.
And you don’t have to necessarily engage Contently’s freelance experts for the entire project. In essence, you could simply request ideas to inspire your internal team and leverage the best performers for future gigs.
4. Crowdspring
CrowdspringOpens a new window is a gig economy app with a difference. It targets the design sector specifically, spanning illustrations, websites, logos, printed material, magazine covers, clothing, and lots more. Companies such as Amazon, P&G, Starbucks, and LG have used Crowdspring to find effective design solutions. But unlike most gig economy apps on this list, Crowdspring follows an auction methodology.
Here’s how it works:
- You share your project details and answer a few questions to generate a brief.
- Multiple designers submit a variety of concepts.
- You can review the entries and finalize your design, paying a predetermined price.
You can also initiate a one-on-one contract with a designer (using Crowdspring’s collaboration tools) and negotiate a price.
Currently, this app hosts 200,000+ registered creative professionals from 195 countries so that companies can expect an average of 100 entries per project. Every project comes with a legally valid contract, making sure that your intellectual property (IP) is protected.
Learn More: How to Ace Recruiting for the Gig EconomyOpens a new window
5. FreelanceDiary
The premise of FreelanceDiaryOpens a new window is simple. It allows you to hire freelancers and comes with an in-built calendar and contact list app to manage gig workers. Importantly, it targets workers in specialized service industries, ones who are likely to fall under tax form 1099.
FreelanceDiary syncs its built-in calendar with other ecosystems such as Apple and Google. You can view your freelancer’s calendars as well, sending invites based on their availability and receiving quotes at a click. The gig economy app regularly adds new freelancers, so you can hire from a vast talent pool.
An exciting feature of FreelanceDiary is its team collaborationOpens a new window capabilities. You can assemble a team of freelancers to work on a specific project, use collaboration tools (file sending, location sharing, etc.), and monitor the project right from the app. All this data is fed into timesheets and payments, making FreelanceDiary a truly comprehensive gig economy app.
FreelanceDiary is priced on a commission basis, which is 9% for booking and 3% on payments. Additional managed services are priced at an as-needed basis.
6. GIG
GIGOpens a new window is a temporary worker finder based out of the U.K. If you’re in a labor-intensive industry like retail, healthcare, hospitality, education, or manufacturing, GIG is a useful app to have in your toolkit. It conducts stringent checks on all registered workers, holds training sessions and skill tests, and even looks after the payroll.
Using this gig economy app is simple. You register your business on GIG’s web or mobile platform and post a gig (i.e., a temporary job vacancy). The platform lets you monitor attendance, based on which the payroll is calculated. GIG promises to save up to 15% of your recruitment Opens a new window costs, giving you access to 10,000+ trained and certified gig workers.
The platform is billed on an as-per use model, and its roster of customers includes Hilton Hotels and Resorts as well as the Ayr Racecourse.
7. Guru
GuruOpens a new window combines its gig worker marketplace with enterprise-facing solutions such as workflow automation, security, consolidated invoicing, compliance, and more. 3 million+ employers have used the platform with a 99% customer satisfaction rate as on date, making it one of the best gig economy apps out there.
Guru ensures that all its registered gig workers are highly credible, publishing their historical customer feedback scores and transaction data. You can connect with a freelancer sitting in a different part of the world and confidently enter long-term employment agreements.
In fact, Guru aids long-term gigs by facilitating recurring payments. You can define payment rules for disbursement every week, month, or quarter, as needed.
Guru has an excellent combination of creative and technical experts, certified service professionals such as accountants, bookkeepers, and architects are also available on this gig economy app. Guru has freelancers in nearly every major city and offers Safe Payment protection, allowing you to clear invoices without leaving the application.
8. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHourOpens a new window boasts of incredible speed when helping you complete projects, and with good reason. It has a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) technology that matches your gig to the best freelance talent available. Once the freelancer gets a notification, they can respond with a tailored proposal.
PeoplePerHour also has an impressive admin module, including an inbox of tasks, communication threads, and built-in invoicing. This gig economy app’s smart identification procedures prevent any risk of phishing or identity theft.
It is PeoplePerHour’s AI that sets it apart in a crowded gig economy app segment. It takes the semantics of your project description to identify and attract freelancers on the app. Or, you can opt for the Offers feature for growing businesses. Offers are specific service packages from freelancers available at a competitive rate, often as low as 10. This is a risk-free way to try out someone new and follow up with a long-term project plan.
Every communication is recorded on PeoplePerHour’s Project Streams, giving you end-to-end visibility.
Learn More: Is Your Self-Service Portal Ready for the Gig Economy?Opens a new window
9. Toptal
Toptal’sOpens a new window value proposition is that it gives you access to the top 3% of freelance talent out there. This can be extremely useful, as freelance employmentOpens a new window becomes a popular working model for millions of professionals around the globe, and you need a gig economy app that ensures a high quality of hire.
Owing to its top-tier pool of workers, corporate giants such as HPE, Motorola, and others swear by this platform.
The enterprise version of Toptal gives you three options. You can either hire an independent freelancer, you can assemble an entire team under a designated manager, or get your project completed by Toptal end-to-end via their fully managed agile team services. Toptal claims to match you with a gig worker in less than 24 hours.
The platform’s talent repository includes developers, designers, financial experts, project managers, and product managers, most of whom have worked in prestigious companies before joining the gig economy. Toptal requires an initial deposit of $500 when you sign up, which is reimbursed on your first invoice.
Interestingly, this gig economy app doesn’t charge a fixed commission percentage instead, costs will vary depending on the scale of your project and the quality of freelancers.
10. Upwork
When it comes to gig economy apps, you can’t miss out on UpworkOpens a new window ! Upwork has quickly established itself as a premier talent marketplace for freelancers, and agencies that provide independent contractors. Upwork has millions of freelancers spread across the world, giving you access to a vast mine of talent.
The gig economy app has several nifty features to make it easier for companies to hire and manage freelance talent. For instance, it turns the hiring model on its head. Instead of companies looking for prospective hires, you simply post a gig and freelancers bid for the project.
Payments can be either hourly or on a project milestone basis. Upwork lets you monitor freelancer progress via regular screenshots as well as manual time tracking.
You can also chat with freelancers, send/receive feedback, create candidate shortlists, and conduct a detailed need analysis. But Upwork’s USP is undoubtedly its popularity among the freelancer community. This combination of useful features and global talent makes it an essential gig economy app for 2020.
There’s no signup charge. You only pay 3% commissions on payment processing and an additional $49.99 per month if you require managed services.
Learn More: Workforce Scheduling Tools you Need to Win in the Gig EconomyOpens a new window
Stay on the Winning Side of the Gig Economy in 2020
Gig work is now a mainstream work model for millions of professionals across the globe. From 9-to-5 job holders with side hustles to temp workers in labor-intensive industries and specialized professionals making a career out of “gigs,” this is an exciting and multilayered landscape.
And studies suggest that it is a lucrative option, likely to attract even more professionals in the coming years.
Payoneer’s surveyOpens a new window (email required) of 7,000+ global freelancers found that hourly rates of freelancers are significantly higher than the minimum wage. Boomers seem to earn more from the gig economy. Additionally, high-school graduates are priced at $22 per hour, while those with a Bachelor’s degree come in at $19 per hour! Further, women’s share of the gig workforce has steadily increased in the last five years.
In other words, the gig economy is all about experience and expertise, not about one’s background, gender, or other limiting stereotypes. To navigate these nuances effectively, you need a gig economy app that’s designed for a new generation of workersOpens a new window .
The selection we listed will give you a head start on gig workforce management for 2020, helping you gain from this promising and ever-growing talent pool.
Can you add a killer gig economy app to our 2020 checklist? Tell us on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We would love to include your insights on our next article!