Recursos humanos. Gig economy: ¿el inicio de una nueva era en la gestión de los recursos humanos?

Este trabajo ha obtenido el Premio Estudios Financieros 2021 en la modalidad de Recursos Humanos.

Desde la crisis financiera global de 2008 se está asistiendo a la consolidación de un nuevo modo de organización de la actividad económica a nivel mundial: la gig economy. A grandes rasgos, tres son los ejes principales sobre los que se articula: flexibilidad, trabajos esporádicos o por encargo y tecnología. Su auge está suponiendo una auténtica revolución en el ámbito de las relaciones laborales al suprimir un elemento clave en la gestión de los recursos humanos (RR. HH.): la relación laboral entre empresa empleadora-persona trabajadora dentro de los límites de la propia empresa; una situación que está planteando importantes desafíos legales en todos los países del mundo. En el presente trabajo se repasa el contexto en el que se origina, sus principales rasgos distintivos, al tiempo que se recopilan algunos datos estadísticos que dan una imagen de su magnitud actual en el mundo. Asimismo, se analizan las posibles ventajas e inconvenientes que representa para aquellas personas que deciden participar en ella. Y, lo que es más importante, se plantea una propuesta original de clasificación de la gig economy. En este sentido se distinguen dos formas extremas que se consideran dominantes a partir de la evidencia disponible: fuerte y débil. Se muestran cuáles son sus características diferenciadoras que, por otro lado, deben ser tenidas en cuenta para disponer de una imagen más informada acerca de sus posibles implicaciones sobre la gestión de los RR. HH.

Palabras clave: gig economy; gig workers; plataformas digitales; forma fuerte; forma débil.

José Ignacio Galán Zazo
Catedrático de Organización de Empresas.
Departamento de Administración y Economía de la Empresa
de la Universidad de Salamanca

José Ángel Zúñiga Vicente
Catedrático de Organización de Empresas.
Departamento de Economía de la Empresa (ADO), Economía Aplicada II y Fundamentos
del Análisis Económico de la Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid

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RTSS. CEF. NÚM. 463 (octubre 2021)

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