Dive Brief:
- It's estimated that some 5 million people in the UK are now part of the on-demand 'gig economy', according to a report from Business Insider. Those workers access short-term gigs via apps like Uber, Deliveroo and Airbnb.
- Originally launched in 2011 in Switzerland, the on-demand staffing app called Coople quietly debuted in the UK in June of this year. Coople now supports 5,000 companies with over 100,000 registered users. Jacques de la Bouillerie, the UK managing director for Coople says that the app was recently used to staff a Coldplay concert with over 400 short term helpers within 24 hours.
- Bouillerie told Business Insider that the goal of Coople is to "provide a platform with so many jobs that someone can come and work as much as they want." The app handles everything from scheduling and managing peaks and valleys in staffers to payroll.
Dive Insight:
The gig economy has been a boon for many freelancers, moonlighters, and those looking for part time work when they need it. It's a concept that is still new in many areas, but in larger cities the norm. The Coople app, like others, takes the heavy administrative aspects of staffing out of the equation.
Some may argue that this could replace traditional staffing agencies in the future, while others believe this is just another way to augment the current workforce with a readily available supply of employees. Still, there are security concerns when using this method, as candidates may not be screened by a real human resource or recruitment pro before heading to a job site.
