What is a gig economy?

Translator: Lia Afidah Reviewer: Made Pramana

The year is 1194.

Pada tahun 1194,

Maurice De Bracy, enemy to the English crown,

Maurice De Bracy, musuh kerajaan Inggris,

is locked in combat with a mysterious Black Knight.

terjebak dalam pertarungan melawan Kesatria Hitam yang misterius.

Suddenly, the Black Knight gains the upper hand.

Tiba-tiba, Kesatria Hitam itu memenangkan pertarungan.

He whispers his true identity in De Bracy’s ear:

Dia membisikkan identitasnya di telinga De Bracy:

King Richard the Lionheart of England.

Raja Richard si Hati Singa dari Inggris.

De Bracy yields.

De Bracy pun menyerah.

Later, De Bracy offers to let King Richard use his army of “Free Lances,”

Lalu, De Bracy menawarkan kepada Raja Richard pasukannya, “Free Lances”,

mercenary soldiers who were free to use their lances in service

prajurit sewaan yang bebas menggunakan tombak (lance) mereka

demi siapapun yang membayar paling mahal.

of whoever paid the most.

That’s how it plays out in Sir Walter Scott’s 1819 novel, “Ivanhoe.”

Adegan itu muncul dalam novel “Ivanhoe” karya Sir Walter Scott, terbit tahun 1819.

Scott didn’t coin the term, but it was probably this use that stuck,

Scott tidak menciptakan istilah tersebut, tetapi mungkin fungsinya melekat,

and evolved to describe someone who works independently of any single company.

dan berkembang untuk menjelaskan seseorang yang bekerja independen di perusahaan.

That independence seems to make people happy.

Kebebasan itu sepertinya membuat orang bahagia.

A 2016 survey of freelancers in six countries

Survei tentang pekerja lepas (freelancer) pada tahun 2016 di enam negara

found that those who freelance by choice— 70% of respondents, by the way—

mengungkap bahwa pekerja lepas atas pilihan sendiri (70% responden),

were happier than people in traditional jobs,

lebih bahagia dibandingkan pekerja tradisional,

specifically when it came to things like independence and flexibility

terutama jika terkait dengan kebebasan dan fleksibilitas

in terms of where and when they work.

dalam tempat dan waktu bekerja.

In a survey conducted in the US,

Dalam survei yang dilaksanakan di AS,

half of freelancers said there was no amount of money

setengah pekerja lepas mengatakan mereka tidak akan

that would convince them to rejoin the traditional workforce.

kembali bekerja secara tradisional berapapun bayarannya.

At some point in your life— maybe even now—

Pada saat tertentu, bahkan mungkin sekarang,

you might wonder whether freelancing is right for you.

Anda mungkin berpikir apakah bekerja lepas adalah pilihan tepat.

You'll need a few things to be successful.

Anda perlu beberapa hal supaya berhasil.

First, you'll need a skill that's in demand.

Pertama, Anda perlu keahlian yang banyak dicari.

This can be as universal as driving a car to as specialized as neurosurgery,

Keahlian ini bisa seperti mengemudi, hingga khusus seperti bedah saraf,

and it can be in pretty much any field.

dan hampir bisa di bidang apapun.

The more people who want your skill, and the fewer people who have it,

Semakin besar keahlian Anda diminati, dan semakin sedikit pekerjanya,

the more you can charge for your services.

semakin besar pula pemasukan yang bisa didapatkan.

Next, you’ll need to transform yourself into an entrepreneur.

Kemudian, Anda perlu mengubah diri menjadi seorang pengusaha.

Before freelancers can do any work, they have to find it.

Sebelum pekerja lepas dapat bekerja, mereka perlu mencarinya.

That takes marketing your services, negotiating contracts,

Anda perlu memasarkan layanan, menegosiasi kontrak,

building a network of satisfied clients,

membangun jaringan dari klien yang puas,

and a whole set of administrative skills like project management,

dan serangkaian keahlian administratif seperti manajemen proyek,

time management, and accounting.

manajemen waktu, dan akuntansi.

And thirdly, if you can afford it,

Dan ketiga, jika Anda mampu,

it's probably a good idea to budget for some benefits for yourself

sebaiknya alokasikan dana untuk keuntungan Anda sendiri

and maybe your family.

dan mungkin keluarga Anda.

Freelancers don’t automatically get perks that some salaried jobs offer,

Pekerja lepas tidak selalu mendapatkan bonus layaknya pekerja bergaji,

like paid vacation or sick leave, life insurance,

seperti liburan dibayar atau cuti sakit,

asuransi jiwa, biaya kuliah, atau rencana pensiun.

college tuition, or retirement plans.

In countries like the US,

Di negara seperti AS,

where the government doesn’t provide healthcare to most people,

di mana layanan kesehatan tidak tersedia untuk mayoritas warga,

freelancers are responsible for that, too.

pekerja lepas pun menanggungnya sendiri.

Freelancing has been around for a long time;

Bekerja secara lepas sudah ada sejak lama;

but digital freelancing platforms like Uber, Lyft, and Fiverr are pretty new.

tetapi platform untuk bekerja lepas seperti Uber, Lyft, dan Fiverr masih baru.

They say they’ll connect you with clients and take care of some

Mereka bilang dapat menghubungkan Anda dengan klien

dan mengurus semua hal administrasi dan wirausaha, jadi Anda bisa fokus bekerja.

of the entrepreneurial and administrative stuff so you can focus on the work.

But there are some hidden costs to consider.

Tetapi, ada biaya terselubung yang perlu diperhatikan.

First, your life may not be as flexible as you think.

Pertama, hidup Anda mungkin tidak se-fleksibel kelihatannya.

For example, if you're a rideshare driver, you get to choose when to work,

Misalnya, jika Anda pengemudi mobil tumpangan, waktu kerja bisa dipilih,

but not how:

tetapi metodenya tidak:

the app recommends what route to take,

aplikasi menyarankan rute yang dilalui,

enforces how you act with the threat of low customer ratings,

dan jika tidak dipatuhi, rating pelanggan rendah akan didapatkan,

and sets your rate.

dan menurunkan tarif Anda.

Those rates may be so low that you end up working more

Tarifnya mungkin sangat rendah, Anda pun harus bekerja lebih

than if you had a salaried full-time job.

daripada ketika Anda bekerja penuh waktu.

Speaking of rates,

Mengenai tarif,

it can be hard to figure out exactly how much money you’ll make.

besaran gaji yang akan didapatkan bisa saja sulit diperkirakan.

Earnings vary based on location;

Pendapatan sangat tergantung pada lokasi;

platforms might advertise hourly rates that don’t factor in expenses,

platform mungkin menawarkan tarif per jam tanpa mempertimbangkan pengeluaran,

and large scale data on actual earnings is sparse.

serta kelangkaan data berskala besar terhadap pendapatan sebenarnya.

One of the largest data sets we have is from Uber.

Salah satu set data terbesar yang kami miliki adalah dari Uber.

It contains 740 million trips by 1.8 million drivers

Set data ini berisi 740 juta perjalanan oleh 1,8 juta pengemudi

between 2015 and 2017.

dari tahun 2015 sampai 2017.

Researchers analyzed these figures in a 2018 paper

Peneliti menganalisis angka tersebut pada laporan tahun 2018

and found that once you deduct Uber's cut and the cost of business expenses,

dan menemukan bahwa ketika potongan Uber dan paket biaya bisnis digunakan,

drivers’ average earnings dropped from about $22 an hour to about $12 an hour.

pendapatan rerata pengemudi turun dari sekitar $22 ke sekitar $12 per jam.

And buying benefits would reduce that number even more.

Dan pembelian paket akan mengurangi pendapatan itu lebih banyak lagi.

And there is a lot of variability in working conditions

Terdapat banyak variasi dalam kondisi bekerja

across different gig platforms.

antar gig platform yang berbeda.

For example, the company 99 in Brazil operates a rideshare platform

Misalnya, perusahaan 99 di Brazil mengoperasikan platform mobil tumpangan

that many people use to deliver packages.

yang digunakan oleh banyak orang untuk mengirim paket.

Drivers are matched with shippers, and 99 takes a cut.

Pengemudi dipasangkan dengan pengirim, dan 99 mengambil potongan.

The company’s terms and conditions hold both the shipper and the driver

Syarat dan ketentuan perusahaan menjadikan pengirim dan pengemudi

liable for anything that could go wrong—

bertanggung jawab untuk segala kelalaian,

including things like if a package gets stolen.

termasuk jika sebuah paket dicuri.

If you’re considering joining the app economy

Jika Anda ingin bergabung dengan app economy itu

and don’t want to read all the fine print,

dan tak ingin membaca semua tulisan kecil,

there’s a network of researchers who publish ratings of platforms

ada sebuah jaringan peneliti yang melaporkan kualitas platform

based on five categories of fair employment.

berdasarkan lima kategori pekerjaan yang adil.

Digital gig platforms come with drawbacks

Gig platform digital memiliki kekurangan

and may not provide a reliable living wage.

dan mungkin tidak menyediakan upah yang dapat diandalkan.

But for many around the world who don’t have the luxury of choice

Tetapi, bagi sebagian besar orang yang tidak punya pilihan

and need to make money as soon as possible,

dan memerlukan uang sesegera mungkin,

like, say, if you just lost your job,

seperti ketika kehilangan pekerjaan,

the gig economy is the easiest and fastest place to get hired.

gig economy adalah pekerjaan yang paling mudah dan cepat didapatkan.

For this reason, some have called it an “alternative safety net.”

Karenanya, sebagian orang menyebutnya “jaring keamanan alternatif”.

So, considering all these factors and many others,

Jadi, dengan mempertimbangkan faktor-faktor itu dan lainnya,

should you dip your toes into the gig economy? Or dive in?

haruskah Anda mencoba gig economy? Atau menyelam ke dalamnya?

Ask yourself: how much do you value flexibility or autonomy?

Tanyakan pada diri: seberapa besar Anda mementingkan fleksibilitas atau otonomi?

Do you prefer to work within an established structure,

Apakah Anda lebih suka bekerja dengan struktur yang mapan,

or to make your own?

atau membuatnya sendiri?

Are you willing to network to find new clients?

Maukah Anda membuat jaringan demi klien baru?

Are you organized and self-directed?

Apakah Anda terorganisir dan mandiri?

And perhaps most importantly,

Dan mungkin yang paling penting,

how much do you value knowing exactly what you'll earn from week to week?

seberapa besar Anda mengutamakan kepastian pendapatan per minggu?