--- title: "Monday Buzz: Why the Gig Economy Is Growing" id: "35813" type: "post" slug: "monday-buzz-why-the-gig-economy-is-growing" published_at: "2016-11-14T22:26:44+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T17:57:00+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/11/14/monday-buzz-why-the-gig-economy-is-growing/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/11/14/monday-buzz-why-the-gig-economy-is-growing.md" excerpt: "According to new research from LinkedIn, side hustles are driving the gig economy in new ways. Also: A few tips to make your SEO shine." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Career Development" - "economy" - "freelancing" - "New to Associations" - "NextGen" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Early Career" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Monday Buzz: Why the Gig Economy Is Growing Is the future of work going to involve a lot of freelancing? Well, it turns out that it already does. But much of that work, according to LinkedIn Product Manager Gyanda Sachdeva, is happening on the side. That’s according to research on the company’s ProFinder product. In an analysis of roughly 9,600 professionals using the service, LinkedIn noticed some interesting trends. “For one thing, it’s clear that some people are more inclined than others to add part-time freelancing to their repertoires than others,” [she wrote in Fast Company (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/3065571/the-future-of-work/linkedin-data-shows-more-cash-strapped-millennials-turning-to-part-time-f) . “We’ve noticed, too, that men are doing more part-time freelancing than women, and millennials are doing so more than any other age group.” While full-time freelancers are the norm, the side hustle is becoming more common. Part of the reason? Many of those side-hustlers are working in states with high costs of living, such as California, New York, and Illinois. “Since these professionals are living in some of the most expensive cities in the country, it’s not a wild hypothesis that they’re motivated, at least in part, by the need to bring in some extra cash,” she adds. [Check out Sachdeva’s post (opens in a new tab)](https://www.fastcompany.com/3065571/the-future-of-work/linkedin-data-shows-more-cash-strapped-millennials-turning-to-part-time-f) for more thoughts on how freelancing is redefining the way we work. ### Boost Your SEO **Search engine optimization isn’t an easy thing** to get right, but there are ways to improve your SEO without starting over. At HighRoad Solution’s blog, Liz Mackenzie offers up a few of those “lowest hanging fruits.” Among them: Work on your mobile design and your user experience, and find out who’s linking your content. If you want to drive more search engine attention to your site, you have to get the fundamentals down—not just the keywords. “Instead of worrying about the exact keyword frequency in your articles, you should focus more on the fundamentals that will determine your site ranking on search engines,” [she notes in her post on the matter (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.highroadsolution.com/blog/the-5-lowest-hanging-fruits-with-respect-to-seo) . ### Other Links of Note **Economic downturns happen.** If you’re in charge of an association, what should you expect? At *Association Success*, [Belinda Moore offers some insights (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/how-an-economic-downturn-affects-your-association) . **“The moment we start trying to define consensus** with a rule that tells us whether we have got it or not, we diverge from the core reason to seek consensus,” [explains author Adrian Segar (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/facilitation/2016/11/when-consensus-is-dangerous/) . **Interesting app idea of the day:** Refly, a Mac-based writing tool, uses machine learning [to help with the proofreading process (opens in a new tab)](http://refly.it/) . (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Career Development](https://associationsnow.com/tag/career-development/) [#economy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/economy/) [#freelancing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/freelancing/) [#New to Associations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/new-to-associations/) [#NextGen](https://associationsnow.com/tag/nextgen/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoASAE’s The ExchangeApril 24, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/24/asaes-the-exchange/) - [ArticleHow Associations Can Assist Young ProfessionalsJune 12, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/how-associations-can-assist-young-professionals/) - [VideoAllison Isch, PMP Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/allison-isch-pmp-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoChristine Diedrich Shares Her CAE JourneyApril 25, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/25/christine-diedrich-shares-her-cae-journey/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2016%2F11%2F14%2Fmonday-buzz-why-the-gig-economy-is-growing%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !