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New government rule restricts who can be considered an independent contractor

Jan 10, 2024
The likely outcome of the rule is to designate more people as employees. That has some employers through the gig economy worried.
The new Biden administration rule could put more pressure on app-based gig economy companies, such as Uber, that relies heavily on independent contractors.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Local governments are employing gig workers and offering better benefits

Jun 26, 2023
Cities are among the biggest buyers of flexible labor, and they're improving terms for gig work, says Xavier de Souza Briggs of Brookings.
Gig workers, like those who drive for ride-hailing companies, may soon have more jobs in local government.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

How ride-hail companies use data to pay drivers less

Apr 10, 2023
Uber and Lyft drivers receive personalized wages based on data the companies collect about them, according to a new legal study.
A protest against California's Proposition 22 in December. One effect of the law is that ride-hail drivers are not entitled to a guaranteed minimum wage.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Gig workers are signing up for ACA health benefits, though many still go uncovered

Nov 21, 2022
Gig workers are a major reason this year's open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act individual marketplace is likely to be big.
Sharon Barker, an Affordable Care Act navigator, discusses open enrollment in Nashville, Tennessee. She said more of her clients are working in the gig economy and using the individual marketplace to support a more flexible career.
Blake Farmer/WPLN News

Biden administration proposes rule that could reclassify gig workers

Oct 12, 2022
The federal government steps into a regulatory issue long left to states to figure out, observers say.
Uber's stock dropped Tuesday as investors saw higher costs for workers' benefits in the administration's plan to reclassify gig workers.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images

How do gig workers fit into the rest of today's labor force?

Aug 31, 2022
Gig workers, like those who drive for Uber and deliver for DoorDash, occupy a murky position between employee and independent contractor as defined by labor laws.
Gig workers in the U.S. are subject to a patchwork of regulations that differ from state to state and city to city, says Terri Gerstein.
Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

New report shines a light on the deaths of rideshare drivers in the gig economy

Apr 20, 2022
Because they are not considered employees, gig workers and their families often have fewer financial protections when they are hurt killed on the job.
More than 50 gig work drivers have been killed on the job in violent incidents since 2017, according to a new report by advocacy group Gig Workers Rising.
Vera_Petrunina/Getty Images

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High gasoline prices take toll on gig economy drivers

Mar 23, 2022
A survey found more than half of drivers have either reduced their hours or quit in response to rising fuel costs.
Rising gas prices are cutting into the earnings of gig economy drivers.
Ben Stansall/AFP Getty Images

How a “gap year” away from the gig economy changed this artist’s life

Jan 12, 2022
“Time became the thing we identified as the ultimate privilege,” said Atiya Jones, a visual artist in Pittsburgh.
Atiya Jones rides a horse in New Mexico during her grant-funded "gap year." "My work is deeply inspired by the things I see," she said.
Courtesy Atiya Jones

Gig workers pay a human price for being managed by algorithms

Dec 23, 2021
From erroneous terminations to racially biased facial recognition tech, what happens when the robot gets it wrong?
From erroneous terminations to racially biased facial recognition software, a new report from the nonprofit advocacy group Worker Info Exchange details the hidden issues with popular gig economy apps.
Adam Berry/Getty Images