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Sharing economy services have exploded in popularity over recent years, with many expecting this trend to continue. The total value of the global sharing economy has been predicted to increase to over ** U.S. dollars by 2030, up from *** billion U.S. dollars in 2024. This has translated to a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately ** percent.

The sharing economy

The sharing economy is where assets owned by members of a network can be temporarily accessed by other members of the network, generally through an online platform. This differs from traditional businesses, whereby goods and services are owned by a single owner and then rented to the public. Because of this difference, sharing economy companies often escape industry regulations. The two most common examples of the sharing economy are the sharing of private vehicles via ride-hailing apps such as Uber, and the various other sharing economy businesses – predominantly Airbnb, that has left its mark globally. Coworking, where workers from different organizations can access shared office space, is also considered part of the sharing economy.

Regulation

The growth predicted above assumes that the sharing economy retains its position outside of industry regulations – something that is not certain. For example, opinions of Canadians on how the government should regulate Uber have been that they should be regulated in the same way as taxis, which would raise licensing and staffing costs. This would of course increase the cost to the consumer. What has kept customers however, are the top benefits consumers recognize from using sharing economy services, such as it generally being cheaper for users.