What is Gig Economy?
Gig Economy is a term used for a free market where organizations and companies hire services temporarily. Unlike a permanent job, independent workers provide their services for a short period to a particular client. That client may be a single individual, a firm, or a company.
Freelancers, project-based workers, independent workers, and temporary employees are included in the examples of Gig workers. Many gig apps and digital technology are used for connecting gig workers with clients. On online platforms like fiver, Upwork, Guru, etc., the clients submit their requests, and then the apps find their specific freelancers. Similarly, the apps notify the relevant gig workers that they have a request from the buyers. And thus, they become part of the gig economy.
After becoming part of the gig economy, every individual or company paly their roles differently and is divided into many parts.
Parts of the Gig Economy
Based on the work description, many parts of the gig economy take it forward.
Freelancers provide their services and get paid after completing a specific task. The task may be completed in a day or last for a week. Independent contractor performs their services based on contract. Temporary employees are hired for a fixed duration, e.g., three months, six months, etc. And after that, the part-time workers work in some particular hours either in the morning or evening.
Pakistan’s Position in the Gig Economy
Pakistan is in the list of those top 5 countries that have recently marked their name in the highest earners from freelancing services. However, Pakistan stands forth in the list of most popular countries regarding freelancing and contributing to the gig economy. After 2017, during the Covid-19, when all the organizations had stopped providing services, Pakistan’s position in the gig economy became more fluctuating and surged to 69%. In 2020, the demand for freelancers started increasing in double digits each month, and in Jun, it reached 47%. So, with that surge in demand, the earnings of the freelancers also increased, and they contributed most to the gig economy of Pakistan.
Popular Gig Jobs in Pakistan
Gig jobs have marked their importance almost in every industry in Pakistan. As the industrial sector in Pakistan is growing, the owners of the industries need to widen their resources. For that purpose, they would need to hire more individuals. But, to allocate their resource property and instant completion of the projects, they tend to hire gig workers. With the freelance workers, industries in Pakistan have developed their revenues as compared to previous years. So, we can say that freelance services are needed in industries.
Freelancing jobs in Education Sector
There are many opportunities for freelancing jobs in the education sector. During examination days, the parents want their kids to prepare for the exam to secure good grades. So, as you know that everyone wants to save time and money, to hire quick and effective services, the parent tends to hire freelancers for part-time tuition classes for their kids.
Similarly, many academies and colleges offer classes for entry tests or exam preparation. The duration of that type of class is not permanent. So, in that case, they put a request for part-time teachers. Besides these, there are many opportunities in the education sector for gig workers. For example, paper checking, writing assignments, book reviews, etc.
Freelancing Jobs in Real Estate Sectors
No one can deny the significance of freelancers in the real estate sector. The owners of property businesses are always searching for some employees who can draw more clients to their platform using their PR. Real estate freelancers find investors, bring them to the company and get their commission.
Freelancing Jobs in the IT Sector of Pakistan
In the IT sector, freelancing opportunities are greater than any contemporary organization. Many information technology companies search for gig workers to complete their daily and weekly tasks. So, we can say that most gig economy is structured with the contribution of gig workers providing their services to IT companies.
Highly in Demand Freelancing Jobs in Pakistan
Recently, according to a report, freelancing jobs in Pakistan have been emerged as a notable figure. Revenue from freelancing is growing day by day. There are different fields where gig workers offer their services to add their part to the gig economy of Pakistan. The quality works of the freelancers make stagnant Pakistan’s position in the gig economy. In any sector, gig workers may perform their services like the following.
- Content writer
Whenever you want to read something, you will find out the efforts of content writers. Everything you read understands on the internet is written by the content writers. Freelance writers write blogs, articles, and website content to engage more readers with the content. The main purpose of the content writers should be to drive traffic to the website and rand the content on google on the first page.
The contribution of an average content writer to the gig economy is $3000 per month, and sometimes it reaches $4000. Freelance writers can find jobs on freelancing platforms like fiver, Upwork, Freelance, Guru, etc.
- Copy Writer
Copywriting is a step ahead of content writing. It requires you to achieve more skills in content writing. Through their eye-catching and pursuing statements, Copywriters make the reader decide quickly in buying something or investing in a project. Sales emails, sales letters, advertisement statements, video sales letters, Social media ads, White papers, and case studies are copywriting examples. Compared to the content writer, you can earn more as a copywriter. As a beginner writer, you should not build high expectations. However, once you prove yourself, you can be on the list of digital marketers earning the highest amount, thus contributing more to the gig economy of Pakistan.
- Virtual Assistant
A virtual assistant or VA is a person assisting business people in running their businesses. VAs provide their services while sitting in their homes. They do many duties on behalf of the business owners, such as sit business strategies, sending emails, receiving emails, sending proposals, replying to proposals, etc. However, as a beginner freelancer, you can start your VA services from basic duties like doing online research, managing email inboxes, sending outreach emails, formatting blog posts, and many other simple tasks.
While doing these simple tasks, you cannot expect to earn more than other freelancers. But, after getting advanced experience, you can grow earning opportunities. The average contribution of virtual assistants to the gig economy is $59,353. You can earn more if you make yourself irreplaceable. You can do it by learning more skills.
- Proofreader
If you do not enjoy writing, and prefer reading, you can proofread others’ writings and correct their mistakes. You must have a good command of English Language Grammar for the job. For proofreading, you have to stick yourself to acquiring new language skills. If you are good enough to use sentences according to the correct structure, you are fit for proofreading. The average amount that proofreaders contribute to the gig economy is $52,078. Usually, proofreaders charge their payment as per page or word. But, if you charge it per word, you can earn more by working faster. You can find good freelance clients over different freelancer websites.
- Bookkeepers
Large companies have hired professional accountants to look after the account structure of their business. However, small companies and organizations hire gig workers to keep records of their business transactions. Unlike an accountant, a bookkeeper is not as professional as an accountant. For beginners, bookkeeping skills are very easy to learn. The average earning of bookkeepers is $38,259. As it requires very few skills, bookkeeping is not considered the highest-paid job in the freelance market.
- Social Media Manager
According to a report, approximately 94% of internet users use social media platforms. In that case, social media is the best medium of advertisement. Using their skills, social media managers write social posts, create graphics, engage users, and keep groups and accounts active to generate more traffic on a specific post. The average contribution of social media managers to the gig economy is $46,940. However, the earning depends on your skills. You can also use paid ads to drive more traffic and sales. Once you learn advanced skills, you can charge the amount of your own choice.
- Graphic Designer
Among all other freelancing categories, graphic designing is the highest-paid skill of the freelance market. Graphic designers, using their creative skills, offer services of logo designing, social media graphic designing, website designing, package, designing, ads designing, product designing, animations, and other all kinds of designs. However, as a beginner, you do not need to achieve advanced skills in graphic design. But, for earning more, you should emerge your skills you an advanced level of creative graphics. Many companies in many sectors only need graphic designers with basic skills. You can work on their project by simply having experience in working in Canva.
The average earning of graphic designers is $50,407. But, you can grow it to a huge amount after you earn a prominent name in the freelance market of Pakistan.
Final Words
After reading the article, you are now aware of Pakistan’s Gig economy and position in the freelance market. You can start earning from freelancing by acquiring some basic skills in the above categories and becoming part of the gig economy by providing your services.
