The Gigain Economy was discussed at Istanbul Aydın University
The panel “GIG Economy in the Axis of Digital Transformation, Virtualization and Metaverse”, planned as a joint event of AKEV, IIBF and KURSAM within our university, was held in the A Block Conference Hall.
The opening started with speeches on behalf of the Corporate Governance and Sustainability UYGAR Center by Dr. Lecturer Member M. Adil Salepçioğlu, on behalf of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences by Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Selimler, and on behalf of AKEV by Elif Aydın, after which the panelists shared their views and evaluations.
Following the opening, the panel was attended by Can Azizoğlu, Founder of COINOXS Blockchain Technologies; Bünyamin Emeç, SODİMER Blockchain Committee President & CEO of XROXO – XBOTEX; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Erdoğdu, Faculty Member of the Department of Finance and Banking, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Istanbul Arel University; Dr. Lecturer Member Mortaza Ojaghlou from the Department of Economics and Finance, İAÜ Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sabri Öz, Head of the Department of Industrial Policies and Technology Management, Istanbul Commerce University. The panel moderator was Dr. Lecturer Member Adil Salepçioğlu, Director of KURSAM.
The GIG Economy, a relatively new economic concept that entered the literature and was focused on by the panelists from different universities and the business world, refers to a work relationship put forward for individuals to find and perform short-term jobs. Within this framework, it was stated that it depicts either a real or virtual work environment, both due to the nature of the work and the location constraint of where the work is performed. As mentioned in the presentations of the speakers and panelists, it was noted that the term GIG originates from Latin, meaning a single-horse carriage, and in this sense, it expresses a situation where a person works for themselves, is the sole interlocutor regarding their employment rights and wages, lacks union rights, often may be deprived of a social security system, and accepts a temporary and variable income level without continuity. On the other hand, it was also stated that it appears as a more flexible working model, an opportunity to develop side jobs on one’s own, or job opportunities open to innovation in different sectors.
In this form, the concept of the GIG Economy, which can be considered both as a danger and an opportunity, and as a risk factor especially for younger generations in economic terms, was evaluated in detail by the panelists with examples centered on digital companies, virtual organizations, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse. After the panel, plaques of appreciation were presented to the participants.
