These companies treat workers who perform the services they offer not as employees but as independent contractors. In this use, “gig work” is a misnomer that helps companies propagate the myth that these workers have more independence and control over their work than they actually do.ĭigital platform companies have constructed a business model on the premise that they do not employ their workforce. However, in recent years the term “gig work” has become synonymous with working for digital platform companies, including driving for ride-share apps, making deliveries for restaurants, shopping or delivering groceries, and performing errands or household tasks. In the most basic terms, gig work can be defined as work done by individuals who are classified as self-employed, freelancers, or independent contractors.
#Define gigeconomy full#
Nearly one-third (31%) of gig workers did not pay the full amount of their utility bills in the month prior to the survey.Thirty percent used the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) within a month of the survey, twice the rate of W-2 service-sector workers (15%). One in 5 gig workers (19%) went hungry because they could not afford enough to eat.Three out of every 5 gig workers (62%) lost earnings because of “technical difficulties clocking in or out,” compared with 19% of W-2 service-sector workers.More than a quarter (29%) earned less than the state minimum wage that would be applicable if they were a W-2 service-sector worker. About 1 in 7 gig workers (14%) earned less than the federal minimum wage on an hourly basis.A survey of gig workers in the spring of 2020 revealed that their jobs provided poor working conditions, even relative to other service-sector workers, who themselves typically receive low pay.