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

Roth is best for gig workers eligible for the 20% pass-through deduction that Trump concocted in 2017. —William Baldwin, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

As the name suggests, the new range of e-scoots is designed specifically for India’s gig workers. —New Atlas, 2 Dec. 2024

The wide-ranging order also took aim at discount pricing based on different demographics, and mistreatment of gig workers through measures like unrealistic delivery timetables. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Asia, 8 Nov. 2024

Many of them are new immigrants, young people entering the economy and gig workers who have simply not built up a credit history. —Jon Jacobson, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2009, in the meaning defined above