Regulating Work in the 'Gig Economy'

Abstract

The ‘gig economy’, comprised of app-enabled enterprises that profit from connecting consumers with service providers through smart communications technology, is growing exponentially. For the workers who provide the services, however, this kind of labour market engagement looks very much like the old ‘on demand’ engagement of labour, pre-dating the emergence of ‘employment’ and the legislation of protective labour standards. This paper (presented to a Festschrift for noted labour law scholar, Professor Ann Numhauser-Henning, at Lund University in March 2017) interrogates the potential for the development of appropriate forms of regulation for this kind of labour engagement, that respect the need for these workers to enjoy fair rates of pay, and an appropriate level of job security in their work. Australian ‘owner drivers’ regulatory schemes are identified as a potential model.