We often get to read about #FutureOfWork and #HumanMachine but no one is certain whether AI/ML & friends (Robotics, AR, 3D Printing, IoT, etc) would lead to more job creation than job displacement or not. The past three industrial revolutions due to inventions of steam power, assembly line and computers respectively, have displaced human jobs on a large scale. Unlike the past industrial revolutions, however, in Industry 4.0, we are proactively having conversations on the impact of technological progress on human jobs. One of the things that take the front seat while dealing with this is the interaction between companies and their future workforce. When the education system won’t be able to keep up with the pace of change, companies would be left with little choice but to take charge of active and close collaborations with the talent of the future.
The gig economy, an important part of #FutureOfWork, will be key in this collaboration. Gig work can be the largest training ground for early talent -- students and new grads. For companies, the gig economy can be the largest hunting ground to find early talent based on their gigs as proof of credentials.
Tech will have a big role to play here and this is where Lemonop comes into the frame. Lemonop fills a key gap that exists -- a freelancing and professional network exclusively for early talent, featuring Lemonop Gig Engine and Lemonop Twyne, all in a single mobile app. The result is a cohort of users who are talented youngsters, who are influencers, are active in the gig economy and are earning already. While on the one hand, the companies find talent, on the other hand, the young generation gets unique opportunities in their area of interest. With more than 400 companies and 35,000+ registered users on the platform already, Lemonop has helped in gigs ranging from coding to content, from sales to stand-up comedy, from photography to design, from music to magic and many more diverse fields.
Companies can gain significant benefits from the gig economy by finding talented freelancers, spotting future employees early and finding influencers or ambassadors for their marketing initiatives.
The next generation of talent is well informed, entrepreneurial, ambitious of carving unique career paths and are working on the skills necessary to back it up. Born with tech around them, they are natural content creators. The workplace for them is wherever they can log in. But they don’t have it all easy. According to research by Dell, “Gen Z: The Future Has Arrived”, Gen Zers are confident about their tech skills, but yet 94% of them have concerns about starting work. In India, where more than 50% of the people are under 25 years of age, 1.7 crore youngsters graduate each year & only 0.5 crore new jobs are created at the same time (FICCI, NASSCOM, EY 2017).
Meanwhile, companies have always been keen to connect with young talent, but the drive to do so is increasing more rapidly than ever before. The young gen is not only the next innovators & workforce for companies, but they are also incredibly good at certain kinds of work. Examples are social media skills, gaming, digital content creation, etc. Add to it the fact that companies are also deeply focused on this demographic as a very important consumer group. Not only do they have spend-power, but they also have 10x more influence on household spend ranging from devices, holidays, entertainment, vehicles -- almost everything.
The model and principles of the gig economy can be advantageous for both companies as well as the young gen, especially at a time when skill credentials are valued much more than paper certificates. Large companies such as Apple, Google, IBM, Hilton, Costco & others have announced that university degrees are no longer a prerequisite as long as people have hands-on knowledge of subjects, like coding. The gig economy & Lemonop enable co-creation with the next generation for finding future champions and teams, for building skills of tomorrow and for winning star consumers. Lemonop helps on each of these fronts for companies of all sizes and all sectors.
On Lemonop, companies can design their programmes based on business needs. Features like Specialized Gigs can be used for short term work and “Work Finds People” can be used for freshers hiring based on their gig work. For marketing, companies can use Lead Users, Surveys, Contests, Event Crew etc to engage with the right young audience. Campus Projects is a type of gig to post real-world, relevant problem statements for students to try & solve as part of their final year projects. Companies can also bundle their programmes in a custom manner to get their desired results. For example, a contest gig for youngsters to take up Campus Projects, where the best projects can be used to make hiring decisions.
Work with the future you want to see, with the people you want to hire. While Gen Z chooses their brands for consumption or employment, companies can join hands with Gen Z in their most important journey -- building their own future, themselves.
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