Women making headway in the gig economy
PETALING JAYA: When Cheryl Ong decided to take up short-term despatch jobs or “gigs”, her family was sceptical.
“They told me I shouldn’t be doing this kind of job,” she said of the concerns raised by her parents.
Ong wanted a semi-flexible working arrangement to spend time with her children.
So she joined the GoGet platform, which is an app connecting individuals and businesses to workers, who were trained to carry out short-term tasks or errands.
“It was a little extra money to help with my family expenses,” she said.
The 35-year-old said the despatch job, which was thought to be a ‘dead-end’, turned out to be a stepping stone to other opportunities.
“It’s a 50-50 chance and depends on what you plan to do. It can expand your network, depending on your field.
“As I am a pastry chef, I was able to keep in the loop in the industry.
“I got a few part-time freelance jobs from meeting some of the job posters, especially in the food and beverage industry.
“With the work experience from these people, I even managed to land a full time job working in a pastry kitchen,” she said.
Women participation in gig economy could earn them extra income and advance their careers.
Female entrepreneurs are also able to hire workers in an accessible manner to start and grow their businesses.
Iza Sallehuddin, who runs a homemade baked goods business called BakedKL, said the gig economy helped her expand her business.
Before using on-demand errand runners, the 30-year-old had to spend up to a day to deliver a few cake orders.
“We would have to wait for customers and sometimes, they may come late or the delivery address is wrong, so the whole day is wasted. But now, everything runs smoothly.”
Iza, who previously worked as a marketing assistant at a fashion house, said she enjoyed the flexibility and autonomy of running her own business.
“I decided to leave my previous job because now I have control over what I do,” she said.
She admitted working to fulfil short term jobs and requests could be challenging.
“Customers may demand for certain things, and it may be hard because our cakes are made to order. However we’ve learnt to manage gradually.”