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Lyft drivers question the bonus payment system for high-demand areas

Sep 13, 2019
Lyft says it’s a more equitable way to give out bonuses for rides, but some drivers say it’s eating into their profits.
Lyft driver Lauren Swiger speaks at a protest outside Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco, demanding higher pay, benefits and a driver union.
Sonja Hutson/Marketplace

Some contractors worry California’s AB 5 will limit their flexibility

Sep 11, 2019
Advocates say it will provide vital benefits to misclassified workers. But drivers, nail technicians and other gig workers don't want to endanger their ability to set their own hours.
Under the new California bill, nail salons would have to classify their technicians as employees. Above, a nail salon in San Francisco.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

How big is the gig economy?

Sep 11, 2019
Estimates of the size of the workforce depend on how freelance or "independent contractor" work is defined.
A California bill is redefining what it means to be a gig economy worker. Above, an Uber Eats rider delivering food.
Jack Taylor/Getty Images

California gig worker law to be decided this week

Sep 9, 2019
A bill that could force companies to reclassify workers as employees looks poised to win approval this week.
Uber and Lyft drivers protest at Los Angeles International Airport over what they say are unfair wages.
Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Which industries are recession-proof?

Sep 6, 2019
Marketplace listeners share their thoughts on how a recession would affect them.
Ridofranz/Getty Images

How Uber uberfied us all

Sep 3, 2019
The rise of rideshare company Uber was meteoric. And so was its fall.
The Uber banner hangs outside of the New York Stock Exchange before the opening bell as the ride-hailing company makes its highly anticipated initial public offering in May 2019 in New York City.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

California law puts home cooks in the gig economy

Aug 27, 2019
A California "microenterprise" permit allows people to sell the food they prepare at home directly to consumers.
Meghan McConaghy serves up tacos at her home in West Vale, California. She was one of the first people in the state to obtain a microenterprise home kitchen permit to sell her food.
Larry Buhl

For public good, not for profit.

Could the gig be up for Uber and Lyft?

Aug 9, 2019
A law under consideration in California would require the companies to classify their drivers as employees.
A woman holds up a sign as people protest outside Uber's corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California in May 2019.
Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Lowe's outsources thousands of jobs to third-party contractors

Aug 5, 2019
The hardware retailer announced thousands of layoffs this week, but the jobs aren't going away
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The one thing millennials are worried about at work? Job security

May 14, 2019
Young adults prefer one long career over the gig economy, the GenForward survey finds.
People work at the co-working space Cove in 2016 in Washington, D.C.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images