Recent reports have revealed that the global gig economy is bigger than previously estimated, especially when it comes to online gig work.

The World Bank shared that the gig economy now accounts for 12% of the global labour market, and reports from the CIPD state that almost half of UK gig workers undertake desk-based services through apps and websites.

“The gig workforce is by its very nature complex, but the make-up of this demographic is evolving at a significant rate and businesses need to be prepared to adapt. When this segment of the workforce first emerged, the terminology was largely attributed to private hire drivers or food delivery workers. Today, though, gig staff are increasingly made up of people who work remotely, delivering anything from tech support to administration services”, Steve Smith, President International at Sterling, explained.

“While gig labour provides significantly valuable services to businesses, with this growth in online gig work comes a new challenge: being able to screen, vet, and manage staff without ever meeting them. When workers are delivering services from behind a screen it is much more difficult to verify that the person delivering the work is the individual that has been contracted. However, that’s where more sophisticated technology is being utilised to not only manage this but also better identify red flags and track those who are linked to previous unscrupulous behaviour.

“Even for those firms that don’t yet utilise large swathes of gig workers, the chances are they may do so in the future. Getting ahead of the curve now and ensuring your company is equipped with the tools to engage gig workers quickly and compliantly will have longer-term strategic benefits that shouldn’t be underestimated,” he concludes.