Coronavirus Fuels the Gig Economy

Gig workers are benefitting from increased demand and higher hourly pay rates as America navigates COVID-19

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Jul 15, 2020, 09:15 ET

DENVER, July 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With millions of Americans experiencing reduced hours, furloughs, and job loss, the coronavirus pandemic is taking its toll on the U.S. economy.

According to data sourced from GigSmart, a staffing company connecting businesses seeking labor with available workers, demand for its gig economy apps has increased by 25% since the virus was declared a national emergency in the United States on March 13, 2020.

GigSmart's two apps, Get Workers and Get Gigs, leverage user location data and Skills matching to connect businesses with short-term labor needs to skilled, temporary workers.

Since the start of the pandemic, several Skills have experienced significant increases in their hourly pay rates. Furniture Movers, Warehouse Laborers, and Handymen all experienced pay bumps north of $5 per hour. Furniture Movers topped the list, earning $8.17 more per hour.

Overall, the average Get Gigs Worker's hourly pay is just shy of $22 per hour, up from $17 per hour from the period before COVID-19.

Rich Oakes, President of GigSmart, said, "We're extremely proud to be connecting displaced Americans with local, available hourly opportunities. We've been able to adjust and pivot as the COVID-19 situation unfolds, which has allowed us to continue to grow our user base while providing businesses and workers access to more jobs at great hourly pay rates."

In addition, the top five most requested Skills in GigSmart Gigs completed during COVID-19 have been Warehouse Labor, Moving Van Driver, Laborer, Packer, and Loader.

"The increase in hourly pay and Skills demand in our apps closely aligns with the overall shifts our economy is experiencing during this crisis. In essential businesses like warehouses, the demand for more workers has led to increases in their hourly pay," Oakes added. "We're also serving more residential requests as a result of Americans spending most of their time at home."

Not surprisingly, the Skills experiencing a drastic reduction in usage during COVID-19 closely align with the industries hit hardest. The Skills with decreased demand include Hostess, Food Prep Worker, Bartender, Retail Merchandiser, and Stocker.

The above data compares two periods, "Before COVID-19" and "During COVID-19," to look at Gigs completed on GigSmart's staffing platform from Jan. 1, 2020, to March 13, 2020, and March 14, 2020, to June 30, 2020.

To learn more about hiring skilled temporary labor for your business or to instantly access local, hourly job opportunities in your area, please visit GigSmart.com.

SINCE COVID-19, THESE GIG SKILLS HAVE EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN THEIR HOURLY PAY RATES:

Furniture Moving (54%)
Warehouse Labor (46%)
Handyman (42%)
Security Guard (14%)
Carpenter (13%)

SINCE COVID-19, THESE GIG SKILLS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE LARGEST INCREASE IN DEMAND:

Warehouse Labor
Moving Van Driver
Laborer
Packer
Loader

THE AVERAGE HOURLY PAY RATE FOR ALL COMPLETED GIGS:

Before COVID-19 (Jan. 1 to March 13): $17.22
During COVID-19 (March 14 to June 30): $21.97

About GigSmart

GigSmart is a software development company focused on providing modern solutions to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving economy. GigSmart's hiring platform provides smarter staffing solutions to connect businesses looking for labor with available workers. Launched in December of 2018, GigSmart's Get Gigs and Get Workers apps have already surpassed 300,000 installs. GigSmart's apps are available in all 50 states in industries like construction, manufacturing, transportation, retail, customer service, and professional services. GigSmart is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with 35 full-time employees.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rich Oakes
[email protected]
720.892.6371

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SOURCE GigSmart