Who's behind the rising popularity of the gig economy?

63 percent of full-time executives would switch to become a contractor, given the opportunity. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The gig economy: on-demand workers, particularly at the expert level, are giving employers a competitive advantage – and while organizations are currently grappling with a changing workforce, executives themselves also want be gig workers, according to Mavenlink’s report, “The White-Collar Gig Economy-On-Demand Workforce Trends According to Today’s Business Leaders.”

Mavenlink, in conjunction with market research firm ResearchNow, surveyed 300 executives and found that virtually all (94 percent) of business leaders plan to continue using or expand their use of skilled contractors for specialized roles in the next year. The reason? A majority (79 percent) say that leveraging contractors is a competitive advantage, as the gig economy increases their organization’s agility.