More Governments Turning to Gig Economy for Help

Whether it’s hailing a ride or finding help with home improvement projects, the gig economy is slowly transforming the way a lot of work gets done. It’s hardly surprising, then, that governments have started to rely more on these workers, too. A new national survey from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence provides the first-ever snapshot of the gig economy’s developing role in the public sector. It suggests that while only a few governments have started hiring gig workers, they’re already plugging some staffing holes in nearly every segment of the public workforce. “It’s an emerging issue and is one there has not been much attention paid to,” says Gerald Young, a senior research associate at the center.