Best Gig Economy Stocks to Monitor Amid its Growing Popularity

An updated edition of the March 25, 2025 article.

The emergence of the gig economy concept has reshaped the landscape of traditional employment.  The gig economy offers workers the freedom and flexibility to set their work hours, workload, and even their workspace.  The resultant flexibility helps accommodate diverse lifestyles and personal commitments. No wonder this trend gained immense popularity, both during and in the post-pandemic scenario, with workers and companies constantly seeking more flexible and innovative work arrangements.

The gig economy concept encourages workers to engage in short-term, freelance, or contract-based work.  The advantages associated with the gig economy are being utilized by multiple companies, ranging from rideshares like Uber UBER and Lyft LYFT to food delivery entities like DoorDash DASH. Moreover, platforms like Upwork UPWK and Fiverr FVRR connect skilled freelancers with businesses for short-term projects, in turn allowing professionals to choose their schedules.

Agreed that this flexibility comes at the cost of job security and benefits like healthcare and retirement plans associated with traditional employment. However, the lure of being one’s own boss often overrides these disadvantages. With a focus on work-life balance, the gig economy concept is gaining immense popularity. This can be gauged from the fact that the gig economy market is expected to reach $648.8 billion in 2025 and $2.15 trillion by 2033, from $556.7 billion in 2024. This implies that the market is likely to witness a compound annual growth rate of about 16.2% in the 2025-2033 timeframe.

These numbers showcase the immense potential for gig economy-focused companies. With our thematic screens, one can easily spot stocks tied to trends shaping the future of investing. If the gig economy appeals to you and you’re looking to align your portfolio with this rising trend, now might be the time to consider stocks like Amazon AMZN, Lyft, and Angi ANGI.

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Amazon’s dominance extends far beyond e-commerce. The company is a significant player in the gig economy by offering flexible, short-term work opportunities through multiple programs like Flex, Delivery Service Partners (DSP), Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and its tech backbone, Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Flex, launched in 2015, allows drivers to deliver packages using their own vehicles, offering flexible schedules and supplementary income. In 2018, DSP took things further, enabling entrepreneurs to launch delivery businesses, allowing them to hire drivers, lease vans and manage local deliveries. On the digital side, MTurk brings crowdsourcing to life. This platform connects businesses with a global pool of freelancers for tasks like data tagging and survey participation. Meanwhile, AWS serves as the gig economy’s cloud computing powerhouse. It powers platforms like Uber and DoorDash, ensuring seamless operations.

By combining delivery, crowdsourcing, and cloud computing, Amazon has emerged as a major player in the gig economy space. Through its endeavors, the company is streamlining business processes and providing gig workers with new opportunities. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Lyft is one of the leading players in the ride-hailing segment, providing drivers with a flexible platform to earn income using personal vehicles. It generates most of its revenues from ridesharing, where drivers pay service fees and commissions for using its platform. The company’s offerings extend beyond ride-hailing to include shared rides, electric bike and scooter rentals and public transit partnerships.

Lyft’s drivers can choose when and how much they work, offering flexibility and autonomy. The company’s gig-based approach permits drivers to work part-time or full-time and choose their work schedule. Their income is determined by the fares they earn from rides, which also includes potential surge pricing during peak demand. However, expenses like fuel and maintenance are deducted to arrive at net profit.

Lyft utilizes its platform to connect riders with drivers, offering a flexible and on-demand transportation service. By consistently focusing on providing opportunities for flexible income, Lyft underscores the value and potential of gig-based transportation solutions, making it a vital part of the modern workforce. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

Angi highlights the evolving nature of the gig economy by bridging the gap between homeowners and skilled service professionals. Angi's focus on the gig economy has contributed to its growth as a leading online marketplace for home services in the United States.

Angi, through its subsidiary Handy Technologies, highlights the evolution of the gig economy into home services. Handy Technologies offers services in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It is an online two-sided marketplace (an intermediary economic platform, having two distinct user groups that provide each other with network benefits) for residential cleaning, installation and other home services.

The platform acts as a marketplace where independent contractors — from electricians and plumbers to landscapers and handymen — can connect with consumers needing services. By leveraging technology, Angi not only streamlines the process of finding reliable professionals but also supports flexible, on-demand work for these gig workers. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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