Fall 2016 – Welcome to the Gig Economy
Fall 2016

Table of Contents

The Gig Economy Issue

From the Editors

#IamtheGigEconomy: Love Being Your Own Boss or Desperate for a Traditional Job?

Tell us about your gig life by using #IamtheGigEconomy.

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Freelance Workers Economy

As 9-to-5 Jobs Vanish, Look Who’s Reinventing the Working World

Overcoming isolation in the gig economy, workers like Amazon’s Mechanical Turks are building democratic, worker-led communities.
Paul Hampton

Who Replaced 9-to-5 Workers?

In just a few years, half of all workers will be outside the traditional economy. Not just artists and farmers but business people and professors, too.
Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz

How We Became an Economy of Side Jobs

The job growth that led us out of the recession has been in nontraditional jobs, and that's working well for women.
Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz
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When You Don’t Have a Traditional Job, This Is How You Get Creative

Austin, Texas, leads the nation in people with jobs outside the 9-to-5 economy.
Martin do Nascimento
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“I Work Like an Independent Worker, and I Feel Happy”

What today’s workers can learn from day laborers and domestic workers about job security, health benefits, and retirement.
Sylvia A. Harvey
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Can Automation Turn Fewer Jobs Into Better Ones?

We must shape a future in which technological progress means freeing people to work fewer hours for fairer compensation and to devote themselves to social advancement.
John Nichols
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We Need Young Farmers, and Colleges Can Help

The documentary Occupy the Farm shows the positive impact universities could have if they leveraged their resources to create more farms and farmers.
Chelsey Simpson
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Finally, Jobs That Work for Parenting

Right now I’m not worried about the glass ceiling. For now, with a young child, I’m embracing freelance work.
Anne Miller
Freelancing and Working at Home

6 Tips on Making Money and Staying Sane When You Work From Home

How to deal with anxiety, self-doubt, and “the check’s in the mail.”
Brandon Ambrosino
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On a Remote Homestead, the Work You Do Is Not Just a Job—It’s Your Life

Far from the 9-to-5, the work of building community can be a challenge when the cash economy is less relevant and volunteers are just passing through.
Olga Kreimer
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Advising My Laid-Off Mom About Freelance Work

The economy has changed from many single-track, steady careers into workers who thrive on one-off gigs and “projects.” But when you’re over 60 and overqualified, how do you find a job?
Giulia Pines
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For Workers Who Feel Like Part of a Machine, These Companies Get It Right

The Good Work Code attempts to re-examine what workers and employers want and to build jobs around shared values.
Christa Hillstrom
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I Took a Side Job Selling Cherries at Pike Place—And Now Love the Farming World

There is a profound sense of community born from the gathering of people and the exchange of goods at a market.
Fan Kong

Solutions We Love

Explore Section
Vote When You Hate Everything on the Ballot

5 Reasons to Vote Even When You Hate Everything on the Ballot

Voting won’t solve the nation’s problems. But it’s a start.
Yessenia Funes
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Strangers Become Family at This Multigenerational Housing Project

A unique affordable-housing community supports both foster families and elders who might be looking for a few extra grandchildren.
Kim Eckart

Culture Shift

Explore Section
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Half of All Indigenous Languages Are Disappearing. Inside the Rush to Save Them

Of 194 languages remaining in North America, nearly 63 percent are spoken only by adults or elders. That’s why children's television programming is key.
Tristan Ahtone
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Sorry, Trump: So Many Reasons to Welcome Immigrants

Why cities across the country are rejecting xenophobia: They know the economic and social value of newcomers.
Magaly N. Lopez & Manuel Pastor
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The Next Big Thing: Job Benefits That Go Where You Go

We need to overhaul America’s social safety net, which was designed for a different labor market and economy.
Chris Farrell
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Urban Foraging: Weeds You Can Eat

6 edible weeds that can provide protein, reduce anxiety—or even predict the weather.
Jasleena Grewal
Black Lives Matter

When Showing Up Requires More Than Just a Facebook Post

When we take the time to connect, we make our communities more resilient and compassionate, and maybe we find the courage to defeat racism.
Sarah van Gelder