THEME: TECHNOLOGY

WHAT IS THE GIG ECONOMY?

WARM-UP
A. With a partner, discuss the following questions.

1. Do you know any of the following companies? If yes, what type of services do they offer? Have you ever used
them? If not, do a quick web search and present your findings to the class.

a. b. d.
c.

KEYWORDS
2. Read the following sentences and match the words and phrases in bold with their definitions a–J.
Then in pairs / groups, compare your answers.

1. John just got a gig for two days at a moving company a. Dangerous; involving the possibility of
this weekend. :______ something bad happening.

2. Growth in remote work is among the key workplace b. broken into small pieces or parts, in a way
trends to watch in the coming year. :______ that may have a negative effect

3. Most people perform better when their work c. An digital marketplace that places one
environment is stable. :______ party in touch with another, such as
buyers and sellers.
4. Working in the gig economy in risky as many people
d. fixed or steady; not likely to move, change
have to deal with labour insecurity. :______
or fail
5. The precariat is usually worried about keeping their
e. a person or company that has a contract
jobs and have little employment rights. :______
to do work or provide goods or services
6. In many factories, work is fragmented into specific for another company
tasks and assigned to different workers. :______ f. a legal agreement with a bank to lend you
7. Uber drivers are independent contractors and are money to buy a house and you pay the
not recognised as permanent employees. :______ money back over a particular number of
years
8. Due to automation, jobs nowadays are much more
g. a job, especially a temporary one
insecure than they were twenty years ago. :______
h. not safe or protected
9. In Europe, you are unlikely to get a mortgage if you
do not have a permanent job. :______ i. a general direction in which a situation is
changing or developing;
10. Online platform such as Uber and TaskRabbit, are
some of the biggest players in the gig economy. j. people whose employment and income
:______ are not secure

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Technical English worksheet (CEFR B2) © sweetlingua.com
 THEME: TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

VIDEO COMPREHENSION
3. PREDICTING: You are going to watch a video, “What is the 'gig' economy? “. Look at the title, what
type of information do you think will be included in the video? After watching, check if your
prediction was correct.
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4. Listen and complete the following comprehension questions. All answers should be in full sentences.

1. In your own words, what do you understand by “The new world of work”?

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2. What is the current trend in Europe as it relates to the new world of work?

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3. According to the video, what is attracting so many young people to the gig economy?

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4. What are some of the negative things associated with the gig economy?

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5. Why are organizations like the OECD are starting to worry?

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5. Answer the following True or False questions. Then compare your answers with a partner.

a. Over 70 percent of workers in Europe are on fixed term contracts. T/F

b. In Spain there are more employees on fixed term contracts than those on permanent contract. T/F
c. Companies like Uber, allow gig workers to have the same benefits as traditional companies. T/F
d. In Europe, many companies are unwilling to offer permanent contracts. T/F
e. The Gig economy is only associated with artists. T/F
f. Gig workers do not have the same level of job security as permanent workers. T/F

Technical English worksheet (CEFR B2) © sweetlingua.com

 THEME: TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

LANGUAGE FOCUS
6. VERBS PHRASES: Choose the most suitable verb to go with the word in bold. Change the form of the
verb as needed.

to create | to provide | to have | to earn | to make | to threaten

a. Many banks required that you d. The employees ………………………… to stop

…………………………. a permanent job contract working if they did not get the salary increase,
before giving you money. they wanted.
b. In today’s society, women generally e. According to recent report, green economy
…………………….. less money than men. policies could …………………………… around 40
million jobs worldwide.
c. Now-a-days, companies need to
…………………………….. a consistent, top-notch f. Offering your services on a digital platform is a
service to keep your customers happy. creative way ……………………………… a living in
the gig economy.

7. NOUN COLLOCATION: Combine the following adjectives and nouns to make suitable noun phrases.
Then complete the phrases in the sentences below.

ADJECTIVE NOUN
1. stable 5. risky a. conditions e. platform
2. technological 6. conventional b. employment f. changes
3. hourly 7. white-collar c. job g. employers
4. digital 8. poor d. workers h. wages

i. The ………………………… changes that we have seen in recent years has made way for the development of
many digital companies.
ii. Rising inequality in many countries, is the result of many employees earning extremely low ………………………
wages.
iii. Many part-time employees are faced with poor …………………………… conditions, as they have very little social
protection.
iv. In the last 10 years, we have been seeing more part-time and temporary work and not the ………………..
employment relationships we had been used to.
v. More and more ……………………………….. platforms like Uber, are being created every day.

CRITICAL THINKING
8. With a partner discuss the following questions then share your views with the rest of the class.

1. Gig work is nothing new. Can you think of some traditional gigs?
2. Do you think the gig economy is really the future of work? Why, why not?
3. Do you think the disadvantages associated with the gig economy outweighs the bad? Support your response.
4. Why do some people believe digital platforms have an obligation to the users of their service? Do you agree?

Technical English worksheet (CEFR B2) © sweetlingua.com

 THEME: TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE

CHART ANALYSIS

9. The chart shows age cohorts of freelance workers in the United States and degree to which workers
freelance as of 2016. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and
make comparisons where relevant.

1. How do you think this report compares to people freelancing in your country or another country you are
familiar with?
2. What factors do you believe influence the current trends seen in the chart below?

Chart source: https://www.statista.com/chart/10981/freelancers-in-america/

TRANSFER ACTIVITY
10. SPEAKING

TASK: Are there any digital platforms similar to Uber or Fiverr in your country? If yes, what type of services do
they offer? If you could create one, what try of service would it offer and why?

With a partner, think of a service that could benefit from a digital platform that could link people together. What
does it do? Why would people need it? Who could use it? Present your proposal to you class.

Technical English worksheet (CEFR B2) © sweetlingua.com