现在的劳动力市场已经不同于以往。以前人们追求长期稳定的工作，每个人一生中只换过寥寥几次工作，现在则会经历一连串不稳定的合同工和临时工。打零工，也就是“短期或不定期工作”已经成为新常态，按需工作和自由职业成为打零工的主要就业形式。

蒙特利尔银行财富管理部门（BMO Wealth Management）委托其它机构对新兴零工经济进行了调查并公布了相关结果。调查展示了不同时代的人和公司在零工经济中得到的好处、面临的挑战和不同的视角观点。报告还引用数据，为零工一族提出建议，帮助他们使用这种灵活的工作方式获得财务成功。

各行各业的雇主都会雇佣合同制临时工来弥补公司在技术或劳动力上的不足。高技术的专业人才可以在这种经济中脱颖而出，他们时常短期受雇于公司企业，补充支撑公司的长期劳动力。Fiverr、TaskRabbit和Handy等软件是为这类合同工和雇主牵线搭桥的主要方式。

该研究引用了美国兰斯塔德公司报告中的数据，预测2019年将有高达50%的劳动力参与零工经济。报告还指出，参与调查的公司中有68%称，今后几年会“越来越多地采用‘灵活的雇佣模式’”。

打零工的人包括各个年龄层，整体打零工的人数也因此增多。不同年代的人选择零工的主要原因各不相同。婴儿潮一代中52%的人是为了平衡工作和家庭，58%的X世代和55%的千禧一代想做兼职多赚点钱。大多数的X世代和婴儿潮一代都称自己开始打零工是为了平衡工作和家庭需求。

在打零工的过程中，不同年代的人也遇上了不同困难。虽然面临的共同挑战主要是这种工作无法提供相应的福利，但婴儿潮一代焦虑感最强（77%），“这或许反映了人们年纪增大时出现残疾或遭遇疾病的风险增高。”然而婴儿潮一代也因为参加工作时间更长拥有更多存款，他们（37%）相比起X世代（47%）和千禧一代（53%），没那么害怕因为生病失去收入来源。

报告最后，蒙特利尔银行为自由职业者提供了一些建议，从“制定商业计划”到“考虑购买责任保险”等，帮助他们应对收入不稳定、没有福利、无法加入退休金计划等种种挑战。（财富中文网）

译者：Agatha 

The labor market has shifted. What used to be characterized by stable, permanent employment and few employers per individual is now a tumultuous string of contracted, temporary jobs. Gigs, or “jobs of short or uncertain duration” are the new norm, and on-demand and freelance work are the name of the gig game.

BMO Wealth Management published the results of a survey they commissioned to learn more about this new gig economy today. The findings give insight into the benefits, challenges, and perspectives of different generations and companies on the gig economy. The report then uses the data collected to suggest ways that this flexible workforce can succeed financially.

Employers across every industry use contracted gigs to fill skill and work gaps within their companies. Highly skilled specialists excel in an economy like this and are often hired on temporarily to supplement permanent staff. These contracted workers often use apps like Fiverr, TaskRabbit, and Handy to connect them with paying jobs.

The study cites data from a Ranstad US report predicting that as much as 50% of the workforce could be participating in the gig economy by 2019. About 68% of the companies surveyed in that same report said they saw “an increasing move to an ‘agile workforce’ over the next few years.”

A diverse range of ages participate in contracted work, which has contributed to the growth of this labor force. The top reasons that people chose to work in the gig economy varied by generation. About 52% of Baby Boomers cited balancing career and family needs while 58% of Gen Xers and 55% of Millennials wanted to make extra money on the side. The majority of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers also said they began working in a gig capacity to balance career and family needs.

The generations also encounter different hardships as gig workers. Every generation’s biggest challenge is the lack of benefits that accompany jobs like this, though Boomers were most likely (77%) to feel that fear, “which may reflect the increasing risk of disability or illness as one ages.” Boomers, however, may have more savings due to a longer amount of time in the workforce to save, leading them (37%) to fear not getting paid when sick far less than Gen Xers (47%), and Millennials (53%).

To combat fluctuating income, lack of benefits, and ineligibility for employer retirement plans, BMO made several suggestions to freelancers at the end of the report, ranging from “make a business plan” to “consider liability insurance.”