TechREG® Chronicle – Gig Economy

Dear Readers,

The “gig economy” refers to a free market system in which temporary positions are increasingly common; and organizations hire independent workers for short-term commitments. Traditionally, the term “gig” was used by musicians to define a performance engagement. Today, it has become a more general term to refer to a form of employment relationship.

Examples of gig workers include freelancers, independent contractors, project-based workers and temporary or part-time hires. Mobile applications and other digital technologies are often used to connect customers with gig workers (as anyone who has ordered a mobile take-out order will attest). The use of such technology has served as a catalyst for the rise of this growing common practice.

Obviously, such a fundamental shift in employment relationships will raise certain regulatory concerns. The pieces in this Chronicle deal with these issues.

Terri Gerstein & LiJia Gong note that as the the gig economy has expanded, New York, and Seattle have become leaders in regulating working conditions in the platform economy in recent years. Other localities have also brought enforcement actions to enforce platform workers’ rights, recovering millions of dollars for workers. Within the federalist system of the United States, cities and localities may be well-suited to advance protections for platform workers. City action may be well-suited because a high concentration of platform workers live and work i