QUESTION:
You attended an Economic Forum in your college and you heard one of the speakers made this comment:
"The high cost of living is the main reason people are joining the Gig Economy."
Write an essay expressing your opinion on the comment. Write at least 250 words.
"The Gig Economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations hire independent workers for short-term commitments" (www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/gig-economy). The high cost of living can be described as the "amount of money needed to cover basic experiences such as housing, food, taxes and healthcare in a certain place and time period." (www.brittanica.com/dictionary/cost-of-living). I partially agree with the comment that the high cost of living is the main reason people are joining the Gig Economy because cost of living keeps increasing, but some people want flexibility in their jobs and to get extra money.
Firstly, one reason why some people are joining the Gig Economy is because cost of living keeps increasing and the average salary is not enough to sustain their lifestyles. In Malaysia in 2023, it can be said that a single person must spend around RM2,500 to RM3,500 per month for cost of living while big families might have to spend up to RM7,000-RM9,000 per month. Compared to the previous years, for example in 2018, a single person's cost of living was around RM1870 averagely per month whereas for big families, it was about RM4420 to RM6620 per month. The increase in the cost of living from 2018 to 2023 is about 50 percent. As monthly wages do not increase at high percentages over the years, this increase in the cost of living could lead to items of necessity like food or clothing to become more expensive in price. Later, some individuals might realize that they do not have enough money to spend on themselves or their families, or to pay for bills each month. This could result in these individuals to decide to earn extra income by joining the Gig Economy. They might take up jobs such as becoming e-hailing drivers, freelancers, couriers or runners. Therefore, it is proven that some people are joining the Gig Economy due to the high cost of living.
Nevertheless, some people want flexibility in their jobs. Normal office workers usually work from 8am until 5pm, with only an hour to take their break for lunch at 1 to 2 pm. They would usually work 6 days per week. Some individuals might not like this arrangement. Some of them may prefer shorter working hours, a longer lunch break or perhaps less number of days to work per week. Moreover, some of them might not be able to work with others or with higher superiors, and would prefer to be in-charge of their work solo, their own selves being the boss of their business. In this case, these people might leave their desk jobs and join the Gig Economy to work on their own at flexible time and places. For example, they might take up jobs as Foodpanda riders or Grabfood delivery persons where they can choose their own working time and could take up the food delivery jobs according to their likings. They could arrange whether to start working early in the morning or later in the afternoon, or to work till late in the evening or night. They are in control of when or how they work. In short, it could be said that some people join the Gig Economy because they prefer flexible jobs.
Last but not least, there are people who join the Gig Economy to get extra money. For example, some students might join the Gig Economy to earn some pocket money as they need to pay for their tuition fees and to buy necessities such as books, laptops and stationeries. Some of them might feel that the money given by their parents might not be enough. To solve this problem, they would take up jobs in the Gig Economy such as part-time sales assistants at 7-Eleven shops or becoming part-time waiters or waitresses. Some civil servants sometimes also take up extra jobs after their working hours such as being e-hailing drivers for short term such as for one or two years when they are planning to buy a house, and to pay for the down payment of that house. Hence, it can be said that there are people joining the Gig Economy to earn extra income and not because of the high cost of living.
In a nutshell, I would like to reiterate that I partially agree with the comment "The high cost of living is the main reason people are joining the Gig Economy" as the cost of living keeps increasing; yet some people want flexibility in their jobs and would like to earn extra income. It is hoped that the cost of living in Malaysia could be made lower than at present, and our government should place more attention on the issue of cost of living due to the fact that if the cost of living keeps increasing, people will suffer, as aptly observed by Flip Wilson : "The cost of living is going up and the chance of living is going down."
Writers: SSR1 students (2023/2024) of KPU Kulim
Edited by MzsaMUET
