The Gig Economy (Economy: Key Ideas)

About the Author

Alex de Ruyter is a professor and director of research at Birmingham City University Business School. He has been involved in two ESRC-funded studies related to the phenomenon of flexible and contingent working, and completed his PhD on the uses of nonstandard employees in Australian hospitals. His research in the area of flexible and precarious work has been published in European Journal of Industrial Relations, Work, Employment & Society, International Journal of Human Resource Management, and British Journal of Industrial Relations. Martyn Brown is senior lecturer in organisation studies at Birmingham City University and visiting lecturer at the University of Birmingham. He originally trained as an engineer before embarking on an academic career. His interest in the gig economy stems from a number of years spent as a professional musician where short-term, one-off paid engagements are the norm.