The COVID-19 crisis is affecting every aspect of our life from private life to the way we work. Many have lost their jobs and are concerned about how the job market or even the future of work would look like?
Estonian startup Gigimot is due to open its mobile marketplace in February, connecting customers with service providers for services like house cleaning, handyman, drivers, IT, photographers. Think of Upwork or Freelancer.com
More than 200 service providers and 500 customers have joined the waiting list, and Gigimot’s three founders believe they can play a crucial role in the work market which is changing thoroughly due to the pandemic.
“How the labour market of the future will work? No one can predict that exactly, but one thing is for sure, technology and flexibility will play key roles in shaping the way we work,” say Gigimot founders.
When the crisis hit the service industry and unemployment became evident both in Estonia and worldwide, Gigimot founders started to build (what they see as) a solution — a marketplace that connects customers with service providers at the tap of a button. They compare it more to selling on Amazon.
“Gigimot is run by the same principle and it provides users with an opportunity to earn income by commercialising their skills, knowledge and experience. In other words, if you were a lawyer and you lost your
job, you can continue giving legal advice to anyone who is looking for such advice in a marketplace,” founders said.
Technologically it’s similar to Wolt or Bolt (DoorDash or Uber if you are in the United States), but instead of ordering food or taxi you navigate through categories, pick what kind of services you need help with, add some additional information and tap the ‘send request’ button. The service providers will contact you with their offers, Gigimot founders explained.
