I agree. I read the article and was pleased it at least mentioned the very real- massive- problems of the gig economy. Of course we all value flexibility. I have worked flexibly myself, combining different roles, both in my employed & self employed work for years. But there is a vast difference between the flexibility an academic or high-earning self-employed professional has, and the alleged ‘flexibility’ a delivery person has. The latter is not really flexibility, it is pure exploitation and has to do with the destruction and undermining of regulations, unions and workers’ protections worldwide over the last decades. I try to boycott the gig economy whenever I can, and when I do use such services I try to pay as much as I can and ideally would prefer to pay someone who is an employee with sick pay etc.

Far too many people nowadays make far too little to live on, and as a society we undervalue all sorts of many important roles- eg nurses, teachers, carers of the elderly. Let alone ‘gig economy’ workers- cleaners, drivers etc. Without these people who work in incredibly stressful conditions, our economy wouldn’t work, and yet we as a society pay them a pittance. It’s a disgrace really.

Looking forward to hearing how you like Instacart – I researched it recently and almost paid for a membership but then decided against it when I learned that they inflate the prices at most stores. We use Whole Foods delivery which is free with our Prime membership and then we also use Giant pickup occasionally (which is $2.95, but their prices are better than WF and we spend at least $3-5 on a tip for the WF deliverer anyway). So I guess in an average month we’re paying about $20 in tips or delivery fees for grocery delivery/pickup, but the hours saved are well worth it!

@Jeanna – it would certainly make it easier for people to do part-time jobs or move between jobs, though there are always trade-offs. I got group health insurance through a professional freelancer association for a while, and I know that’s what a lot of people do if they are not in a family with access to employer-sponsored insurance. A lot of the people we talked to did gigs as a supplement to their main job, or as a secondary earner in the family (i.e. the spouse had a full-time conventional job).

Yes, totally agree. This strikes me as a likely indicator of deep financial need and lack of childcare. No one wants to drag their young kids along with them on their poorly paid gig job. . .

@Elisabeth – you definitely need an elevator pitch! Everyone does – if you can describe what you do in 2 sentences or so then people can help and expand your network, which is always good for side gigs.

@smh – I bet there would be a way you could tutor over the summer for a virtual platform that you wouldn’t need to build up. We’ve used Varsity Tutors (a BOBW advertiser!) and I’m not exactly how they hire tutors or what sort of commitment they require, but I bet you could find a tutoring platform that would take 4 months of availability and match you up with students that they would find.

@Rebecca- it seems there should be some middle ground. Some regulatory attempts like AB 5 in CA are quite broad. The rule that writing 35 articles a year for a publication makes you an employee misreads how many of us work. I write a weekly productivity column for a publication — I have never been to the office, never even met my editor in person. I spend a few hours per week on it in my home office, it’s a small percent of my income. Why would I be an employee? In many cases, the gig workers we interviewed work for several of the apps. So they’re not just an Uber driver, they’re also driving for Lyft, GrubHub, wherever the pickings look good for the evening. One could hope that companies would create flexible part-time jobs with benefits, but the economics of that except on the very high end may not be worth it, so the job just wouldn’t be created at all. It’s going to be a challenge to figure out how to put in protections while recognizing that people want the ability to turn time into money flexibly and without a long-term commitment.

I think you can bet that if she had her kids with her, it was by necessity not choice. Let’s not romanticise the absence of childcare options.