On-demand jobs, marketplace jobs or hybrid jobs?

2018-08-17
Here’s the simple difference between on-demand jobs, marketplace job and hybrid jobs.

Author: Paulina Bajorowicz

Do you know the difference between on-demand jobs, marketplace job and hybrid jobs?The gig economy is a rather new market, that’s why it can be rather difficult to navigate through the confusing terms that the companies and media seem to throw our way. What makes it even more confusing is when bigger names like Uber and Airbnb raise the bar and call themselves flex jobs, gig jobs or on-demand jobs.

So we cannot but wonder about this: why and how are we supposed to know the difference between these terms as AppJobbers?

As to why, perhaps it’s because once we know exactly what these three categories mean (on-demand jobs, marketplace job and hybrid jobs), it will be so much easier for us to decipher the growing jargon of the gig economy. This will benefit us in our professional lives and help us decide the best app jobs for ourselves.

As to how, we have luckily got this guide to help us understand these terms.

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On-demand jobs

This job category is the most popular one in the gig economy and includes platforms like Uber, Lyft, Postmates, Caviar, Instacart and Juno.

On-demand workers are on-call when they are logged in to the app, meaning that they can receive delivery, driving or other service requests. They can choose to accept or reject these service requests and call or text clients through anonymous phone numbers. Workers can also receive reviews, ratings (acceptance/cancellation rate) and work performance information through the app. If they receive low ratings or violate the platforms’ Terms of Use, their profiles will be deactivated or receive a temporary suspension.

When it comes to payment, the rates are set by the companies and are subject to change.

Select your city and start working with on-demand jobs today!

Marketplace jobs

Marketplace jobs are just as popular as on-demand jobs, although the sign up process is somewhat more traditional. Platforms like care.com, UrbanSitter, SitterCity, Fiverr and Thumbtack are all marketplace jobs.

^{Courtesy of Fiverr}

Workers list their profile on marketplace platforms, which are then searchable through criteria such as zip code or service. Users apply to advertised jobs and send requests to clients. Marketplace workers also receive ratings and reviews based their how active their account are and how quickly they respond to service requests. They use the messaging and calling features of these marketplace platforms to communicate with clients. Similar to on-demand job workers, if they receive low ratings or violate the platforms’ Terms of Use, their profiles will be deactivated or receive temporary suspension.

Unlike on-demand jobs, workers or clients set the rates for the service which is then negotiated. Local averages are also visible for the region and payment is often hourly-based.

Select your city and start working with marketplace jobs today!

Hybrid jobs

As you can tell by the name, hybrid jobs are a mix between on-demand and marketplace jobs. Bigger names in this category include TaskRabbit, Handy, Housesitter, and Helpling.

The main difference between marketplace jobs and hybrid jobs is that the latter allows clients to advertise the service requests they need help with. Workers can then choose to browse and choose the gigs in advance. Certain platforms also allow clients to book workers based on their reported schedules. Like on-demand and marketplace workers, hybrid workers also receive ratings and reviews based on their work performance. If they receive low ratings or complaints, their profiles will be deactivated or receive a temporary suspension. Workers and clients can communicate through the platforms and are penalised if they communicate through other off-platforms.

Hybrid platforms sometimes allow the pay rate to be determined by workers’ ratings whereas others allow workers to set their own hourly rates.

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Now that you know the main difference between these three job categories, you can decide for yourself which one is a perfect match for you! Go to AppJobs to browse hundreds of jobs in your city and start working today!