By Gemma May and Megan Meng
Year 11 Social Studies
Brittany Earl from Joblist came to speak to a group of Year 11 Social Studies students recently.
According to Brian Nolet, “30% of New Zealanders are now a contractor, temp or freelancer.” This is known as the gig economy, a free market system run by short term contracts or one-off work.
While exploring the rise of the gig economy, our Year 11 Social Studies classes were very fortunate to invite Brittany Earl to speak on her experience within the world of work.
Previously a lawyer, Brittany has now transitioned to the gig economy, where she is now a co-founder of the 2016 gig platform, Joblist. Joblist is a platform where freelancers connect with each other to get jobs completed. Since its launch, the most popular form of work includes handyman work, taking 22% of its listings.
She describes how she prefers the flexibility and freedom of the gig economy, stating she previously felt “trapped in working 9 -5, everyday, and the gig platform JobList offers a chance for financial freedom, choice of work.” Through this talk, we were able to understand her viewpoints and realise how the gig economy allows entrepreneurs to help develop business. She states, “I am very grateful for Joblist”.