EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine February 2020 | Page 17

of obtaining informal gig work, like house cleaning or pet sitting.
And eBay and Etsy provide a means for anyone to sell a product.
The gig economy here and nationwide
CareerSource Florida’s Strategic Policy & Performance
Council undertook a six-month study this year to find out how
the gig economy is impacting Florida. The survey discovered
many Floridians providing services through short-term
assignments—both on the internet and in-person—as well as
creating and selling products. Robin King, CEO of CareerSource
Volusia- Flagler, estimates there are 7,700 self-employed workers
in the immediate area. A recent survey by the Federal Reserve
Board showed that nationwide, a full one-third of American
workers earn some or all of their income through non-traditional,
part-time jobs.
According to the CareerSource
study, Volusia and Flagler counties
in central Florida are prime locations
for gig work because of the area’s
concentration of hospitality,
transportation, and healthcare jobs, as
well as its education and professional
services. Many gig economy workers—
especially those who operate online—
can perform their services from
Leslie Giscombe
anywhere. “There are people here
who say, I’m not going to get a job like I would have up north,
but I’d love to stay in this area. What can I do?,” said Leslie
Giscombe, founder of the Palm Coast-based African American
Entrepreneurs Association. Giscombe has been selected to serve
on a state-level committee for CareerSource Florida that will
look at what we can do in this part of Florida to help support the
expanding gig economy, “so people wanting to move here from
other states will be attracted to our resources.”
What types of gig workers
are there?
Lisa Ekinci, co-founder of Office
Divvy—a Palm Coast company that
provides a professional location and
business support services—said some
people who work relatively tame full-
time jobs use their free time to develop
businesses that follow their passions.
Ekinci said when she arrived
Lisa Ekinci
in Florida in 2004, she noticed that
“everybody did two or three things. I’d meet someone who
would say, I’m a Realtor, but I also own a housekeeping company,
and I have a kayaking thing on the side.”
The ride-sharing app Uber and Airbnb—a room rental web
site—“really mainstreamed” the concept of the gig economy,
Ekinci said.
The CareerSource study said most gig workers fall into a
few categories:
Supplementers: Middle-skill level employees who
sporadically get extra income from temp agencies or
seasonal work. Many are on fixed incomes, but others add
jobs occasionally to help them meet unexpected expenses.
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FEBRUARY 2020 | 11 |