It's time to do something about the financial perils of gig work

Today, finding a job is undoubtedly easier than it has been in previous years, but finding a good one isn’t. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The gig economy is booming as more Americans opt for job flexibility versus the traditional nine-to-five. However, this rapid growth is not without resistance. Protesters and government officials are urging gig economy giants, like Uber and Doordash, to embrace employer status. Why is this such an important initiative? Because gig workers are struggling to make ends meet, while corporations are capitalizing off of the workforce’s back.

Today, the U.S. economy is healthy—in fact, it’s better than healthy. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), total employment is expected to increase by 20.5 million jobs between 2010 and 2020, with 88 percent of all occupations experiencing this growth. While it’s easy for the BLS to make this determination, they’re unable to accurately measure the current state of our temporary workforce. Due to great confusion over the term “gig work,” estimates of how many Americans take part in non-full time work vary greatly—not to mention how these workers are faring financially.