Vast majority of UK workers prefer traditional employment to the gig economy

Only 10 per cent said that they thought that it represents the future of employment

Glassdoor’s survey shows that the biggest draw of the gig economy is flexibility (Getty istock)

Working in the so-called “gig-economy” may often be associated with the perks of flexible hours and trendy entrepreneurs working from their laptops in East London cafes, but a new survey has found that most people would much prefer a traditional job.

The study of 2,000 people conducted by employment website Glassdoor found that only 13 per cent of workers across all employment types would consider taking a job within the gig economy full-time in 2017, while 27 per cent said they would consider working in it part-time, Glassdoor found.

However, a vast majority of employees - 76 per cent – agreed they would feel more secure sticking with permanent employment.

Glassdoor’s survey shows that the biggest draw of the gig economy is flexibility, with 35 per cent of respondents saying that this would be the biggest incentive for them to work freelance or on a very short contract.

Some 11 per cent said that the biggest perk was the better work life-balance, while another 10 per cent said that it was the fact that you could be your own boss.

However, across all types of work salaries and benefits remain the most important workplace factors for both men (56 per cent) and women (63 per cent) – something which is typically less stable in gig economy.

Despite the rapid rise of the gig economy, the survey revealed that most British workers don't think that they will eventually find themselves being forced into it. Only 10 per cent said that they thought that it represents the future of employment.

Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor’s chief economist said the impact on the UK workforce would remain minimal in the long term.

“The main reason is size. Although many ride-sharing and travel platforms have popped up in recent years, they’re still confined to a small corner of the workforce,” Mr Chamberlain said.

“Further, gig roles only really work for relatively simple jobs that are easy to measure, don’t require deep institutional knowledge, and don’t rely on long-term relationships. […] For some jobs, the UK gig economy is here to stay. But don’t expect the majority of the workforce to be part-time contractors any time soon,” he added.