I spent a lot of time seeking knowledge this month when I was home sick with the flu. To pass the time, I read and watched videos online, which is how I came across another great TED talk.
In his presentation, titled “A New Kind of Job Market,” Wingham Rowan discusses his thoughts on a flexible work market for employers and those seeking work. As he points out, there is an abundance of people who can work, but they may need ultra flexible schedules to accommodate life’s curve-balls, such as an illness or care of dependents, among others. His suggestion to solve this issue is to come up with a marketplace where employers and workers can team up to fill “slivers of time” on a local level with short notice.
For instance, if there was an online marketplace for these spare hours, an employer who realizes he may be understaffed that day can find replacement workers almost immediately with little overhead. These workers could be trained with several companies and post their work availability in order to fill employers’ needs quickly. This marketplace would also help the employer pick the best candidate for the job and the one who provides the most cost effectiveness.
While the work to be done may not require highly skilled labor, it can benefit both the job seeker and the employer by allowing the company to operate at a high rate of efficiency and allowing the job seeker the flexibility to earn a wage and work as much or little as needed.
Rowan is the strategic director at Slivers-of-Time, located in London, where they are already implementing this strategy. Check out his TED talk below!