Interesting article that discusses some of the implications of the trend towards a more on-demand work environment.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/02/can-the-growing-gig-economy-reboot-welfare.html
Interesting article that discusses some of the implications of the trend towards a more on-demand work environment.
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/02/can-the-growing-gig-economy-reboot-welfare.html
Interesting read. I think the article misses one crucial point that also weighs against the possibility of the gig economy from becoming a real or even partial substitute for traditional government assistance programs. Most gig-economy opportunities require certain levels of wealth to even participate. For AirBnb, one needs to rent or own property. For Lyft or Uber, one has to have not only a reliable vehicle, but one that was manufactured fairly recently. Even for opportunities like InstaCart or TaskRabbit, one must be fairly mobile or able to work within a fairly broad geographic area, which usually requires a car or a bus pass. Thus, there a certain barriers of entry to the gig economy that prevents those positioned on the lower-end economically from ever participating at all.
The article also ignores the fact that many of these people (1/3 the article says) are not working full time. Many of these people supplement whatever job they do full time with working for Lyft or Uber. Nonetheless, the employee status for Uber and Lyft remains a huge issue.