What is a gig economy?

Translator: fatiha amin Reviewer: Aznah Binti Arshad

The year is 1194.

Pada tahun 1194.

Maurice De Bracy, enemy to the English crown,

Maurice De Bracy, musuh kerabat diraja Inggeris,

is locked in combat with a mysterious Black Knight.

terperangkap dalam pertempuran melawan Kesatria Hitam.

Suddenly, the Black Knight gains the upper hand.

Tanpa disangka, Kesatria Hitam berjaya menguasai.

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

Dia membisik ke telinga De Bracy, akan identiti sebenarnya:

King Richard the Lionheart of England.

Raja Richard, Bahaduri England.

De Bracy yields.

De Bracy mengibar bendera putih.

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

Kemudiannya, De Bracy menawarkan tentera “Free Lances” miliknya,

mercenary soldiers who were free to use their lances in service

tentera upahan yang bebas menghayunkan senjata mereka

of whoever paid the most.

untuk tawaran yang tertinggi.

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

Begitulah kisahnya dalam karangan 1819, Sir Walter Scott bertajuk “Ivanhoe.”

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

Istilah itu bukanlah milik Scott, namun penggunaan istilah yang kekal,

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

gelaran mereka yang bebas bekerja tanpa ikatan pada mana-mana syarikat.

That independence seems to make people happy.

Kebebasan itu menyenangkan hati ramai.

A 2016 survey of freelancers in six countries

Tinjauan pekerja bebas tahun 2016 dari enam buah negara

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

mendapati 70% daripada mereka yang memilih untuk bekerja bebas-

were happier than people in traditional jobs,

lebih bahagia berbanding mereka yang tidak.

specifically when it came to things like independence and flexibility

lebih-lebih lagi, dari segi kebebasan dan fleksibiliti

in terms of where and when they work.

tentang keberadaan dan waktu kerja mereka.

In a survey conducted in the US,

Tinjauan dari Amerika Syarikat,

half of freelancers said there was no amount of money

sebahagian pekerja bebas mengatakan tiada nilai wang

that would convince them to rejoin the traditional workforce.

mampu meyakinkan mereka untuk kembali ke pangkalan tradisional.

At some point in your life— maybe even now—

Kadangkala kita terfikir - mungkin juga sekarang -

you might wonder whether freelancing is right for you.

apakah kita sesuai untuk “freelance.”

You'll need a few things to be successful.

Ada padi semua jadi, ada beras semua deras.

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

Pertama, kemahiran yang diperlukan ramai.

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

Kemahiran mudah seperti memandu kereta, atau yang khusus seperti pembedahan saraf

and it can be in pretty much any field.

dan kemahiran dari segala bidang.

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

Jika ramai yang memerlukan kemahiran anda dan kurang dikuasai,

the more you can charge for your services.

makin tinggilah kadar caj perkhidmatan anda.

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

Seterusnya, anda perlu menjadikan diri anda seorang usahawan.

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

“Yang bulat tak datang bergolek, yang pipih tak datang melayang”.

That takes marketing your services, negotiating contracts,

Anda harus memasarkan perkhidmatan, berunding kontrak,

building a network of satisfied clients,

membina rangkaian pelanggan yang berpuas hati,

and a whole set of administrative skills like project management,

dan kemahiran tadbir yang lengkap seperti pengendalian projek,

time management, and accounting.

pengurusan masa dan perakaunan.

And thirdly, if you can afford it,

Ketiga, jika mampu

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

sediakan peruntukan untuk beberapa manfaat bagi diri anda,

and maybe your family.

dan juga ahli keluarga.

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

Pekerja bebas tidak mendapat kelebihan mereka yang makan gaji terima,

like paid vacation or sick leave, life insurance,

seperti, cuti berbayar atau cuti sakit, insurans kehidupan,

college tuition, or retirement plans.

yuran kolej atau pelan persaraan.

In countries like the US,

Di negara Amerika Syarikat,

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

dimana kerajaan tidak menyediakan penjagaan kesihatan

freelancers are responsible for that, too.

pekerja bebas memikul tanggungjawab itu.

Freelancing has been around for a long time;

Bekerja bebas telah lama wujud;

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

tetapi platform digital pekerja bebas seperti Uber, Lyft dan Fiverr baru wujud.

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

Katanya, mereka akan hubungkan anda dan klien, menguruskan

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

bahagian pentadbiran dan usahawan agar anda kekal fokus bekerja.

But there are some hidden costs to consider.

Namun ada beberapa perkara perlu diambil kira.

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

Pertama, mungkin kurang fleksibel seperti yang disangkakan

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

Sebagai contoh, jika anda pemandu kongsi anda boleh memilih waktu bekerja,

but not how:

tetapi bukan caranya:

the app recommends what route to take,

aplikasi akan mengesyorkan jalan

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

mengikat sikap anda dengan ancaman penilaian rendah oleh pelanggan,

and sets your rate.

dan meletakkan kadar anda.

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

Kadang kadar agak rendah dan anda terpaksa bekerja lebih masa

than if you had a salaried full-time job.

daripada kadar masa kerja makan gaji.

Speaking of rates,

Berkaitan kadar,

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

agak sukar menentukan jumlah keseluruhan wang yang diperoleh.

Earnings vary based on location;

Pendapatan bergantung pada lokasi;

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

platform mungkin menawarkan kadar per jam, tanpa mengambil kira perbelanjaan,

and large scale data on actual earnings is sparse.

dan data keseluruhan tentang perolehan bersih agak sedikit.

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

Set data terbesar yang wujud adalah dari Uber.

It contains 740 million trips by 1.8 million drivers

Ia mengandungi 740 juta perjalanan dari 1.8 juta pemandu

between 2015 and 2017.

dari tahun 2015 dan 2017.

Researchers analyzed these figures in a 2018 paper

Pengkaji menganalisa figura tersebut dalam kajian 2018

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

dan mendapati jika anda menolak caj Uber dan perbelanjaan bisnes,

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

purata perolehan pemandu melandai dari $22 per jam ke $12 per jam.

And buying benefits would reduce that number even more.

Dan faedah pembelian mengurangkan kadar itu.

And there is a lot of variability in working conditions

Terdapat pelbagai kebolehubahan dalam perihal berkerja

across different gig platforms.

melalui gig platform yang berbeza.

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

Contohnya, syarikat 99 di Brazil mengendalikan platform kereta kongsi

that many people use to deliver packages.

dimana kerap digunakan untuk penghantaran bungkusan.

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

Pemandu dipadankan dengan pengirim dan 99 mengambil sebahagian untung.

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

Terma dan syarat syarikat meletakkan kedua-dua pengirim dan pemandu

liable for anything that could go wrong—

bertanggungjawab sekiranya berlaku masalah -

including things like if a package gets stolen.

termasuklah kecurian bungkusan.

If you’re considering joining the app economy

Jika anda ingin menyertai aplikasi ekonomi

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

dan malas membaca semua syarat,

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

terdapat beberapa pengkaji yang menerbitkan penilaian di platform

based on five categories of fair employment.

berdasarkan lima kategori tenaga kerja adil.

Digital gig platforms come with drawbacks

Gig platform digital mempunyai kekurangan

and may not provide a reliable living wage.

dan mungkin tidak menyediakan gaji munasabah.

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

Akan tetapi tak ramai yang memiliki keistimewaan untuk memilih

and need to make money as soon as possible,

dan memerlukan wang secepat mungkin,

like, say, if you just lost your job,

contohnya, mereka yang kehilangan kerja,

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

gig ekonomi tempat yang senang dan mudah untuk mendapat kerja.

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

Oleh itu, sesetengah memanggilnya “jaring keselamatan alternatif.”

So, considering all these factors and many others,

Setelah semua faktor dan perkara lain diambil kira,

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

patutkah anda cuba berjinak-jinak dengan gig ekonomi?

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

Tanya diri anda sendiri: Fleksibiti atau autonomi yang penting?

Do you prefer to work within an established structure,

Anda lebih gemar bekerja dengan sistem sedia ada,

or to make your own?

atau merangkanya sendiri?

Are you willing to network to find new clients?

Bolehkah anda mencari klien baru?

Are you organized and self-directed?

Adakah anda teratur dan terarah diri?

And perhaps most importantly,

Dan yang paling penting

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

seberapa pentingkah untuk anda ketahui pendapatan minggu ke minggu?