![]() Solutions such as portable benefits, and skills programming detached from employers are growing in importance and many jurisdictions are experimenting with models. Gig work presents challenges in terms of accessing benefits, and skills and training opportunities critical for economic recovery. The lack of visibility and reduced lines of accountability make the gig economy difficult to regulate, and gig worker status poses barriers to unionization and collective bargaining. Gig workers are decentralized and disaggregated, presenting opportunities for exploitation. Choice is largely designed and controlled by the app. For example, Foodora drivers are given options for when to work, but schedules and payment rules restrict and influence their choices. Companies present it as a perk, and workers value it. What conditions lead to people to choose gig work? How much of a choice do people really have when they sign on for work characterized by a double edge of independence and isolation? Policy-makers must consider these aspects when shaping recovery period labour policies. The drawbacks and trade-offs of gig work are detailed in a July 2020 paper – Understanding the Nature and Experience of Gig Work in Canada – published by the Public Policy Forum and the Diversity Institute. During the COVID-19 crisis, many gig workers operating without security or benefits have faced a trade-off: risk exposure to the virus by working or give up needed income to stay safe. While the 2016 median after-tax income of Canadian households was $59,200, the median net income for a gig worker that year was only $4,303. Gig workers might only turn a profit by working those particular shifts, undermining the notion that they can freely choose their schedule. For example, on some gig work platforms, price algorithms make some shifts more profitable than others. Gig workers are often perceived as having autonomy and flexibility. Soon after, in April, the company announced it was closing its Canadian operations, blaming stiff competition during COVID-19. In February, drivers for the app-based food-delivery service won the right to unionize in Canada – a precedent-setting victory. The Foodora case from earlier this year illustrates the precariousness of gig work. Statistics Canada uses tax and administrative data to identify people within the self-employed category whose work is characterized by particular forms of payment, contract types, work schedules, schedule of earnings and supervision. Gig working also spiked between 20, and again from 2012 to 2013, corresponding with the entry of gig work platforms into Canadian markets. Not all gig workers use digital platforms, but, between 20 the percentage of gig workers rose to 8.2 percent of all Canadian workers, up from 5.5 percent. They gig through platforms like Uber, Skip the Dishes, Airbnb and Task Rabbit. These on-demand, freelance workers are self-employed but do not own a business. Gig workers are unincorporated self-employed workers who do not report a business number on their T2125. For some it is their principal source of income, but for most it is a supplementary side hustle. Others are drawn by the promise of flexibility and control over their work. Some gig workers are pushed into gig work because they are excluded from other employment opportunities. Today, contract-based self-employment known as gig work is strongly associated with the use of digital platforms that connect people with skills and assets, and task requesters looking for temporary labour. The term “gig” was popularized by musicians at the turn of 20 th century in reference to short, paid performances. Piecework is much older than the Industrial Revolution. Now, with many Canadians suddenly unemployed and landmark rates of business closings, how well do we understand gig work?įirst and foremost, it is not new. ![]() And while most gig workers are Canadian-born, racialized Canadians and new immigrants are over-represented in the most precarious and least well-paid gig work jobs. Social distancing has exacerbated particular vulnerabilities for those with limited access to benefits or job security. ![]() Gig workers have been on the front lines, delivering food and products, and getting people to their destinations while putting their own lives in danger as a result. The number of people doing “gig work” has been rising for decades, and the precarity of gig workers has been underscored by the pandemic.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |