Education and training in the ‘gig’ economy - Brent Orrell, AEI

This “gig” approach to training has advantages and disadvantages. First, it is far cheaper for the companies compared to sending employees to classroom training. Many of the firms profiled offered little or no financial incentive for upskilling, viewing it as the employee’s responsibility. This sounds somewhat harsh but it is an important test: is the employee sufficiently committed to learning to invest their own time and money in skill development? This reflects the reality that self-motivation and persistence are as highly valued in the labor market as the technical skills gained through the training. Of course, an employee who invests their own time and discretionary income in building up skills, without some sort of contribution from their employer, may also feel fewer doubts about ditching their current job for another company offering marginally higher wages. http://www.aei.org/publication/education-and-training-in-the-gig-economy/