NY Times on the “Gig Economy”

Today’s New York Times has an article about how Uber and Lyft are merely the latest incarnation of a decades-long trend towards replacing (or attempting to replace) employees with independent contractors.  According to the Times, Uber is a rather extreme version, officially employing only 4000 people, while 160,000 people make their living through Uber.  The Times attributes stagnating wages to this “gig economy,” acknowledging that other forces, including the decline of unions and globalization, are also contributing factors.  As of 2014, 18% of all jobs held in the United States are occupied by independent contractors.

But the process has its roots in older trends, such as the move towards franchises that got going in the 1960s and has continued its steady expansion.  In the hospitality industry, hotel chains enter into franchise agreements with hotel operators, who in turn now increasingly turn to independent contractors to provide services within their hotels.  The results has been a decline in wages in the industry in the 21st century.  

As usual in Times articles these days, if you read on below the fold, you will learn the upside to the “gig economy.”  Some people choose to be self-employed consultants to that they can work flexible hours and work from home.  But it’s hard to find a silver lining here for ordinary workers.  Some can succeed as independent contractors, but their wages tend to be low, they have no job security, and the work may come in uncontrollable bursts followed by long, anxiety-producing lulls.