Gigged

What does working in the new “gig economy” of flexibility combined with insecurity feel like? This excellent book by the journalist Sarah Kessler will help those who have no experience of this way of earning a living appreciate the answer. This new labour market offers a measure of freedom and opportunity. But it also does not allow people to make the plans they need if they are to lead a fulfilled life. Reform must come. – Martin Wolf, Books of the Year * Financial Times *
Sarah Kessler’s wonderful book offers unprecedented illumination of the promise, and the peril, of the gig economy by taking a deep and intimate dive into the day-to-day lives of the workers who rely on it. The resulting insights are important and often troubling. – Martin Ford, author of RISE OF THE ROBOTS
With deep reporting and graceful storytelling, Sarah Kessler reveals the ground truth of a key part of the American workforce. Her analysis is both astute and nuanced, making Gigged essential reading for anyone interested in the future of work. – Daniel H. Pink, author of WHEN and DRIVE
In this well-researched and beautifully written book, Sarah Kessler provides a very accessible but sophisticated analysis of the “gig economy”. While vividly telling moving stories about individual hardships and achievements, it provides a broad perspective that helps us see the gig economy as the latest manifestation of the long-running historical struggle over power, security and risk between different classes. It is essential reading for anyone who is interested in understanding the future of our economy and society. – Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 THINGS THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT CAPITALISM
Kessler illuminates a great divide: For people with desirable skills, the gig economy often permits a more engaging, entrepreneurial lifestyle; but for the unskilled who turn to such work out of necessity, it’s merely ‘the best of bad options.’ * Harvard Business Review *
Kessler’s timely book explores the personal, corporate and societal stories behind a massive tech-driven shift away from permanent office-based employment. – Books of the Month * Financial Times *
Silicon Valley is turning work into a frictionless transaction between buyer and seller, says the author of this provocative new volume … Read it because the gig economy affects everyone – employers, employees and consumers. – Book of the Month * Harper’s Bazaar *
A clear-eyed and illuminating book. * San Francisco Chronicle *
Gigged offers a timely and in-depth look at the promise and peril of the gig economy from one of the first journalists to recognize how big and important this new market would become … Sarah Kessler goes behind the statistics to tell the stories of people making a living (sometimes just scraping by) as gig economy workers. Gigged is smart, entertaining, moving, and at times even inspiring. Sarah Kessler writes like a dream. If you want to know how work is changing and how you too must change to keep up, you must read this book. – Dan Lyons, author of DISRUPTED
A deep look at … our “civilization based on work” – and what’s so often unsatisfying about living in it. * Washington Post *

Sarah Kessler is a deputy editor at Quartz, where she writes about the future of work. She was previously senior associate editor at Fast Company and before that associate editor at Mashable. Her writing has appeared in publications including Inc., Salon, and USA Today.

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