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Oct 12, 2021 - Economy

Airbnb: Hosting will be as big as the creator economy

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graphic of gold colored keys on key ring made from the female gender symbol.

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Airbnb global head of hosting Catherine Powell says the "hosting economy" will include as many people as the creator economy does.

The big picture: The creator economy — businesses built by independent content creators — is currently made up of more than 50 million people, according to SignalFire, a venture capital firm.

  • The home rental industry is just a fraction of that: Airbnb currently has 5.6 million listings on its platform globally (including experiences), VRBO has 2 million homes, FlipKey has 830,000 properties and Homestay has 63,000 rooms.

What they're saying: “There is definitely a cause and effect of people who were impacted by the pandemic turning to hosting," particularly women, Powell told Axios on the sidelines of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit.

  • Hosts who self-identify as women make up 55% of the platform, 44% of whom say income from hosting has helped them stay in their homes.

Be smart: Women are turning more to gig work as the pandemic impacted them disproportionately.

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