Why The Gig Economy Is A Scam | James Bloodworth | TEDxManchester

Do the entrepreneurial myths surrounding the so-called gig economy stack up? Journalist and author James Bloodworth doesn’t think so. In his talk he relays some of his own experiences working undercover in the gig economy and debunks some of the glamour surrounding the increasingly popular idea of ‘being your own boss’.”
Follow James on @J_Bloodworth James Bloodworth is a freelance writer and the author of the critically acclaimed book Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain, which was recognised by The Times as its Current Affairs Book of the Year for 2018. Guardian columnist Nick Cohen reviewed the book as “vital reading for all”.
His first book was The Myth of Meritocracy: Why Working-Class Kids Still Get Working-Class Jobs published in 2016. Previously James has written for The Guardian, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, The Spectator and International Business Times. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@babydoll6280]

Man I wish he would have mention the pay getting lower and lower for drivers buy they keep charging customers more and more.

[@bagamudodhargan6441]

You right.

[@q50shunn19]

That is true 💯

[@robstewart4702]

"Come and get a JOB with US and be your OWN boss" = oxymoron. It's a scam alright.

[@huiwitheld1928]

What an eye opener! I used to sell on Amazon and knew that they don't care about their sellers. Now I realise that they don't even care about their own Associates either! I hope this video is shared or twitted as much as possible so that people understand the level of exploitations this giant selling machine imposes on our people.

[@laupeter4594]

thats' because they know when you are alone you are weak. It is designed to take away your power to negotiate in the business world

[@billiamc1969]

I would NEVER EVER work for Amazon, Uber, Lyft, or any other BS corporation

[@thegoober8797]

😂

[@isaidit4720]

Your getting ripped off at your company also you just know it yet lol

[@MEXANIKKA93]

Giving fancy names to Delivery workers like - Delivery Executive, Rapido Captains, Delivery Partners is an gimmick.

[@donnaallgaier-lamberti3933]

I was self-employed all of my career. I did this because I had two young sons to raise and had health issues that prohibited me from working full time for a company outside of my home. What i found was that I carried most of the costs myself, without a continuous income, health insurance or a safety net of any kind. I used my vehicle, paid for my own gas, oil changes, maintenance and so on. After 20 plus years of doing this Gig economy I have come to the conclusion that it is for the benefit of the business owner....not the worker.

[@blancheb3533]

so true

[@vichu000]

Greed is the problem, we are sold back our freedom, we were born free, only to be enslaved by society, I am sure tribes, life more freely than us in the modern world. Simply because we consume so much and need all this comfort. Why are we complicating life. Pls consume less, let's leave a small footprint on the planet.

[@jonarauzo]

I agree 100%.

[@explorewithCK]

very well said. It is hard to undo when we are already comfortable, but what you said is very important 🙏

[@SDALLE99]

No way, go back to the tribe if you love it so much. I’m materialistic af and I’ll consume to my heart’s content. Living in a society has a price, and I’m more than willing to pay it. I’m not ashamed and i have no regret. Go hug a tree you broke hippie.

[@EmmL1223]

You were never born free in this day and age.

[@eec589]

Nobody’s born free. Heck life itself is not free, everything is borrowed and I don’t mean that politically.

[@andreahoffman8152]

Biggest level of exploitation - yes. Most worst are designer's competitions. You work mostly for free. You only get paid when you win the competition. Logo for 100 USD and less! - huge damage to graphic design industry. Professional work has not value anymore. It is hard to explain to customers that logo is more than nice picture.

[@charel5222]

Ive had similar work conditions but never worked for amazon, what a world we have created. Greed and consumerism are rampantly breeding misantrophy.

[@mirzaqureshi]

gig works are blooming right under our noses... we failed to notice it.

[@linuxd]

Doordash is a good gig job. I can decline orders all day and go home whenever I want

[@bananamanstrikesback1793]

Rip your ratings tho

[@linuxd]

@@bananamanstrikesback1793 totally funny what you're saying. On a serious note though In my opinion, my ratings are the on-time, completion, and customer ratings. To me; the acceptance rating is a reflection of how the algorithm is doing

[@stevebrown8292]

Lol but it’s true

[@joeyork9891]

So you get paid medical Dental vision days off vacation holidays Free vehicle, gas, maintenance insurance life insurance equipment training? Because city state federal county worker do. As well politicians too

[@joeyork9891]

@@Gasahlean I get paided 60 in 30mins And I don't pay for vehicles Over head. Like you.

[@richardblackmore9351]

The difference is that a freelance journalist owns their skills and packages them for a client. They are considered more valuable and therefore more worth the money. A college graduate driving for Uber has essentially said “I have no value, so I am going to do this job that has no benefit for me, but maybe I will make a few dollars.” The freelance journalist or writer will make more money from each job, will be more likely to pay rent because the few jobs they do will bring in higher dividends. The fact that they don’t have a representative, such as a supervisor, won’t matter because they can ask for letters of recommendation from previous clients. The analogy is dangerous, is what I am saying. A consultant uses their degree and skills every day, on the job, a gig worker doesn’t.

[@topking403]

Hmm interesting someone had to get people's stuff from point a to b you trust them to deliver food or you yet they don't have value that sounds ridiculous

[@chrisa519]

Gig workers are paying companies to work. The world has officially changed.

[@suncity_cucuy]

Entering a fulfillment center is exactly like walking onto a plantation. Amazon flex is gig economy not the warehouse. If you need benefits freelancing is not for you

[@brucesmith1544]

It's a much better deal for us owners than having to deal with the upfront costs, responsibility, and maintenance of owning slaves.

[@anontill5302]

@@brucesmith1544 Do you own a business? Why not start one and pay your staff better. Be the example for others. BTW if those are the conditions I would not work there and upskill so that I don't have to do low level work.

[@brucesmith1544]

@@anontill5302 Yes, and I'm quite happy paying wages instead of owning my employees. Come see me when you get upskilled.

[@anontill5302]

@@brucesmith1544 What skills does your business need?

[@prima6170]

I, personally, have quit buying from Amazon, and all companies who treat their workers poorly because I realized that I, myself, am a worker. However, I have a friend who absolutely must buy from Amazon because.... because...... because.

[@Harm10412]

"One big happy family" -- oh, the kind with an abusive parent, that is?

[@zvipatent]

I am a sole practitioner patent attorney in my own gig economy. I can take vacation and sick days whenever I want, but for no pay. I do not have to worry about demerit points tho, or being fired. I have read very bad things about Amazon & Uber. One thought I have is that people would get paid more if fewer people needed to do those unpleasant jobs. In some fields, the company worries about retainment, not typranny. I think competition is the answer.

[@laupeter4594]

if you were a professional with qualifications, gig economy will work better for you in terms of work life balance

[@Ace1000ks19751982]

It is modern day sharecropping.

[@laupeter4594]

mate he is correct. How is a life of volatile income, lower savings rate, no benefits better for someone who relies on gig economy jobs to raise a family?

[@meeyan4345]

Gig work culture could be the result of how many people are feeling not right with most work environment. Why do we choose the gig work over some other jobs that gives you sick pay, union benefit and probably chance of getting connected to the other people? Being work horse all the time while you can barely save finances with no time for yourself... I wonder what choice sounds most legit.

[@JesusChrist5000]

what a great video! Alot of these Ted talks tend to be a bunch of fluff, but i like this one

[@CS-qc7np]

It’s ironic how they say you’re your own boss, but they can literally 🔥 you.

[@wadeodrey6176]

No. You are 100% your own boss. You are using their app as a TOOL. A tool company has a right to deny authorized resellers of their tool if it damages the quality or brand of the tool company. You the driver are representing a company.. McDonalds and other franchises can lose their restaurants if you don't follow the companies rules. Are you now saying a franchise owner is not their own boss?

[@CS-qc7np]

@@wadeodrey6176 You’re right! That’s why so many drivers complain about getting kicked off the app without any notice. And, after umpteen appeals, still can’t get back on the app. You’re right you’re your own Boss. 🤔🤣🤣

[@wadeodrey6176]

@@CS-qc7np Why are you relating one product inefficiency to a independent gig economy concept? I didn't say their system is perfect. I said it's a tool a independent gig worker uses. If they aren't happy with uber they can go to a competitor and use their tool. You may have not read or understood my reply comment.

[@wadeodrey6176]

I think we need to come to the common understanding the uber app is a tool used by a person. Some tools don't do the job as well as others to meet the needs of the person. Sometimes tools break. Sometimes the person doesn't know how to use the tools properly and they break...

[@CS-qc7np]

@@wadeodrey6176 Oh, I agree with that. However, I don’t believe all gig works are their own boss. I hear too many horror stories from my delivery people. Now, the guys I deal with on Fiver or Tasker are more their own boss than any others.

[@obamabinladen6679]

As an engineer working on a "platform" service, I can confirm that tech has removed security from all jobs and it's a downward spiral you cannot stop through policy or regulation. Given that I understand the true potential of internet, let me tell you that the internet should have never been built. Things will only get worse now.

[@kolacao8134]

4th Industrial Revolution with IoT? Automation? less privacy? :s

[@multidoor6928]

How you being an engineer is relevant? You are not an economist or a sociologist. Your opinion is low IQ and irrelevant

[@abelcanalesjr5715]

If you declare(A) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(B) and believe(C) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,(D) you will be saved.(E)

[@katherinerevels3048]

This is very interesting - thank you for the insider information! Just another reason to despise Amazon. I never realised the extent of the poor conditions for the gig economy workers! You've definitely sparked an interest and I will look into this further.

[@corpuscallosum4677]

All thru history, there're only 2 kinds of people, the exploiter and the exploited. Any fancy names are just new wine in old bottles!

[@gordonperrett8587]

United we stand, divided we fall. So true. Looks like big business is hard at work on division.

[@amandahicks6001]

I'm a gig worker. I'm an independent contractor with a couple food delivery companies. The work is there because the demand for it is extremely high especially in world we live in these days

[@sharad7340]

How much do you pay your workers do your workers have insurance

[@amandahicks6001]

@@sharad7340 I don't have workers. I am an independent contractor for different delivery companies. I do not employ anyone.

[@austintheson4823]

@Kaushal Batavia being in a gig economy requires some planning, especially with tax. If you plan it well, money will flow smoother than you think

[@julijaspat4477]

there is a huge difference between the real gig economy where you provide your services and talents and companies that market their jobs as "Gigs" to sound more appealing.

[@piningforpoetry3107]

Not exclusively representative of gig work. Starbucks calls the employees, partners.

[@denniswisco]

ANY "independent contractor" who has a "client" will have to abide by guidelines by the client. There is a misunderstanding to conflate flexibility with not having a boss.

[@djd770]

Yeah if you truly want to not have a boss then you need to become an entrepreneur full stop.

[@MrNewberryL]

The point about being an independent contractor is that you decide which assignments to take on and how you will accomplish them. Uber, upon threat of deactivation, requires drivers to take on particular tasks, and tells them how to perform them.

[@tomofnorthcal]

No it is not in all cases. A small biz gets more tax breaks. As an employee I lost tax breaks in 2022-2023. Cannot deduct donations to nonprofits any more and cannot deduct milage to work any more.

[@kbtravel3066]

Amazon is a labor camp

[@steveroukis467]

Enjoyed the talk - he's funny and insightful. But many Gig jobs are not meant to be full employment. It's meant to be flexible employment. And to make some quick money you couldn't get elsewhere.

[@longbeach225]

Yes. But the issue is its spreading everywhere and if people do not stand up it will take over the entire workforce. Soon everyone will be fighting for pennies.

[@Barry4B]

Bolloks

[@ferndog1461]

The W2 jobs aren't attractive enough. The hope is you are in control of your gig assignment and you get paid for work performed.

[@theadhdviking8218]

Yea but more and more companies are shoe horning their workers into independent contractors in order to side step labor laws

[@danielpedersen1688]

@@longbeach225 nobody's forcing them to do it, if people want to work doing gig economy jobs then they can if not then leave, i've been freelancing for different companies over the years and also deliver food on the side and i'm doing alright, then again i've only been doing the food delivery for 6 months started in february of this year and i enjoy it, i use my bike i get fresh air, meet new people, and i'm more happy and makes my mood better. If i wanted to stop long time ago i could nobody's forcing me to do it, i do it because i choose to.

[@WookieSenshi]

Only a "scam" if you don't know how to use the tools given to you. Much like credit cards but on a bigger scale. I make $6,000+ a month doing multiple gig economy apps such as Uber Eats full-time. I'm then able to write off nearly 50% of that income on my taxes and due to doing most of the work on my car by myself I end up making slightly more than a W-2 equivalent earning $6,000 pre-tax per month.

[@hewpack5407]

Happy that this work can support you and for offering a glimpse of a road map to make doing this work "worth it". Most people, however, do not have this knowledge and will not have the time or energy to obtain this knowledge. It's a vicious cycle that keeps many gig workers, who are already disenfranchised, marginalized or otherwise unable to operate in the status quo economy, in that same position.

[@topking403]

Bruh you make 6000 a month with gig apps what how is this possible?

[@danielpedersen1688]

@@hewpack5407 ughh can't people figure it out on their own? it's not rocket science obviously if u have more than one gig then u make more money it's common sense. I only started recently delivering food on the side, only started february this year so it's been almost 6 months and i deliver food on the side, i've got other jobs too i work for an agency where i do web design / web development, i just created my own company through the delivery company so i can make money off of tax deductions from things that i buy over the year and for the amount of kilometer i cycle (i use bike to deliver the food), so it's about diversifying your income that's all. I live with my parents but trust me i have freelanced for different company and took different gig jobs and i've made more money than both my parents combined even after i've paid my taxes, my dad is retired and has been for 10 years so he gets his pension my mum works at an elderly home where she gets her monthly wage and me i deliver food on the side, sometimes work for different tech startups, agencies etc etc... so i'm very successful in what i do. It's all about having common sense and finding more opportunities and different ways of making money. It's not that hard.

[@JW-rn6mx]

“Oh gawd we’re just a platform connecting our driving partners with riders” “there’s a 911 button”. Talk about lack of responsibility. F the gig economy.

[@sambradley6548]

I’m not sure if I can agree, Amazon warehouses are known not to treat the people well. I don’t think that was a good representation of gig work, don’t get me wrong it’s not perfect or 100% stable but it’s not that bad I like it

[@vivianoni9565]

The freelance market hit the wall with the advent of *Fiverr* & its kind. The global econ. has come to mean competing v. labor in developing countries. May the cheapest gig artist win.

[@Jhihmoac]

Viviano Ni - You've got that so right! That's why I gave up freelancing a decade ago... I saw the direction things were headed then - The only ones whom win out are the bigwigs whom ride upon the "pennies-on-the-dollar" backs of others!

[@beechnut79]

Amazon in particular is notorious for treating their workers as livestock at best, vermin at worst.

[@jus3278]

Covid and the current job market where people are sick of working for companies for crumbs and no benefits disagrees with this video. He didn't foresee a Global pandemic. I work in recruiting for all industries and I know it will never go back to what it was. Workers are also standing up to the Ubers of the world. Workers are standing up period.

[@morganbrown9817]

I am an online ESL teacher and because of that have always strongly defended the gig economy, but what these other companies are doing is awful. I don’t blame California for it’s decision anymore to ban independent contractors.

[@abelcanalesjr5715]

If you declare(A) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(B) and believe(C) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,(D) you will be saved.(E)

[@Jak0vas]

He is talking about Amazon terminology and doctrines and not anything specific to Gig Economy... This is widely understood to be Amazon Ethos. Don't shop at Amazon if you value ethical employment and want to support local businesses.

[@upgrade1583]

The gig economy is the new unemployment benefits.

[@Mr_Originality]

No

[@dohminkonoha3200]

Gig economy sounds like sub-prime loan of 2020s. You can buy a house even with no money.

[@abcdefgh-fp4ne]

No minimum wage , no sick pay but still some people in comments section are considering gig economy as great and flexible work environment.

[@Wojak378]

Lol you don’t get it we make more than people who need sick pay..we take our off days when we want if we get sick not a problem we can afford it!

[@everythingmatters6308]

It's a race to the bottom.

[@W81Researcher]

People think they know but they don't know.

[@rhythmandacoustics]

Ironic that the English were so capitalistic and imperialistic, before and even now, and yet this system the English created came to bite them back.

[@MrNewberryL]

the UK has always had a massive working class, since the industrial revolution, from the Lancashire cotton mills to the Welsh mines. Capitalism and imperialism has obviously enriched the country, which has offered them some benefits, after succcessful labour struggles, but the machine was always run off their blood and sweat as well

[@AsiaMinor12]

@@MrNewberryL the world has moved on though. North England has never recovered and it probably never will.

[@beechnut79]

Kinda like Detroit and Cleveland in the US?

[@beechnut79]

Like Detroit and a few areas of other large cities here in the states.

[@Channelsdotbiz-yd8bl]

We have the world's best gig economy platform

[@3APNHA]

I can say one serious thing about Uber from a customer perspective.. Ive been followed home by Uber drivers, I've been harassed and even had to record in some cases because the driver wouldn't let me out of the Uber etc. a driver even once just stayed parked out the front of my apartment, even when I gave an non exact address, he just waited and watched me. Being 19,20,21 through all this I felt so scared to report them because unlike a taxi, they had alllll my details, my address, a photo of me, my full name, my phone number I was terrified so I always gave 5 stars because of this. Now I'm older and I'd report them no matter what but maybe that why they target teens etc

[@salahaddin2009]

Is there an alternative to Amazon? I really don't like how staff are treated in this company.

[@mycodingchannel9690]

The question you’re looking for is, “is there an alternative to capitalism?”

[@Spiritfba]

Order directly from company websites if possible.

[@bkstandard882]

Grow up

[@sambradley6548]

There are others you have to research

[@frida507]

Of course! Search for the product to find other webshops. But the more people use Amazon the less alternatives survive. I Don't shop with Amazon.

[@christopherboxford9556]

Bloodworth has got to be the absolute coolest last name I've ever ever heard in my life.

[@cs1094]

Bloodworth uses a limited range of anecdotes to present a narrow perspective of the gig economy. While many public organizations can and should be more employee-focused, the gig economy on a whole offers significant opportunities for the growth of local and regional businesses while empowering individuals with ways to earn when traditional work is not possible.

[@Denellery]

It allows companies to pay people in 15 minute slots. So they can get food sent from restaurants for cheap. They imagine the job starts from the moment the order is collected to when it is dropped off but what about the commute to the restaurant and all the time spent waiting for an order? Before, all these restaurants would have to pay people to sit at their restaurant and wait to take orders. Now they can get away with paying you only when some food is there to be delivered. It’s a complete con and absolves these companies of all the responsibilities they had to have to before. Yeah they offer great opportunities to companies to profit of underpaying workers

[@mikehess4494]

Thank you.

[@Navinda_Wickramasuriya]

Great video. But don't confuse sharing economy or collaborative consumption with business models such as Uber and amazon. They are not models in sharing economy, they are smart apps to real time cater the demand by supply. Models in real sharing economy will never be in favour of forming large corporates, instead, SE breaks large corporate models down to small nodes, this is called C2C. The whole SE is based on P2P, and there is no chance the moderator (the smart app in between) to be a billion dollar fast growing company.

[@taiwoalliyuugbebor8365]

Should we consider unionization as the solution to these problems in the gig economy?

[@wadeodrey6176]

Unionization is not the solution. Competition is the answer. Create a company that will attract employees. Most unions suffocate companies till they are no longer profitable so in the end unions kill the company and their own employee jobs.

[@kamilareeder1493]

You don't get to make your own schedule as a freelancer, your clientele makes your schedule.

[@zvipatent]

@Aaron B Good point. I choos my hours mostly, but of course have to get the work done in a timely fashion.

[@ΚατερίναΒουζδούκα]

Excellent speech! Thank you for sharing all that experience with the audience!

[@Tashelove1049]

Gig economy is not that bad ultimately it’s up to you to decide what kind of conditions you can work in. I personally do a few gigs including Amazon flex and it works for me because it’s very flexible. Not everyone works gigs as their main source of income for most people it’s just a way to pick up extra money on the side. If you want a job with benefits work a 9-5 with benefits. No one is entitled to get paid when not actively working.

[@Flowergurl2000]

Gig = money for company - least they can pay workers + shift stress to workers also.

[@freeagent2098]

TLDR: gig economy exploits it's workers by offloading everything into the worker

[@TheIncomparableGolfer]

Well at least the workers dont cook the food

[@LittleBigPoet]

@@TheIncomparableGolfer for now.

[@LarryBergelt]

Most of what he talks about are not the gig economy. I don't believe he understands what a gig is.

[@CatBee407]

Explain it.

[@dvaughnclarkethegamecat753]

Temporary money making

[@kadeem070]

exactly, he's talking about jobs

[@objectivemillennial2117]

actually its exactly what the gig economy is you are completely wrong

[@objectivemillennial2117]

@@CatBee407 he have nothing to explain

[@youtubetroll6620]

I've deleted all gig apps, until they can respect there employees

[@michalkiwanuka938]

So how to help them? Also with ir35, contractors have no employment benefits but pay full employment taxes.

[@DragonsREpic]

thats bs you can decline orders on uber, Grubhub and door dash all day if you wanted

[@nopenever536]

I've WASTED valuable time in the gig economy. Uber drivers get a fraction of what the customer pays. Drivers/delivery SURVIVE thanks to the generosity of customers when they tip. "GiG" economy is a SCAM. Hence the nickname "side HUSTLE".

[@livingalone5737]

Probably he is full time employee or he's owner of company if everyone leaves to gig economy he have to raise cost salary and so. I think that's why he's bashing asbout gig economy. Rich wealthy only care about themself being rich while slaving others.

[@IndianGymBro]

Dude had me crying almost.

[@jus3278]

I also think that people aren't as materialistic as we once were. The world had changed forever

[@lionabi777]

Freedom!

[@aahandhanrajgir9559]

can someone please tell the name of the book this guy wrote over the issue ...or link of some article or something like that

[@explorewithCK]

@aahan "Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain", so far it is very interesting and eye-opening. I recommend it to everyone. :)

[@mariahg2208]

I cam barely get to 1000 usd per month doing freelancing. Some months are rough

[@alexandrugheorghiu3439]

I partially agree (especially with the Amazon case). But with drivers/ couriers dunno. It’s an American model. In the US they wouldn’t get paid vacation anyway. And they’d have to pay for healthcare insurance and retirement. On the other hand, the “idle time” example isn’t great. For example, how are shop owners calculating the idle time when no one is in the shop to buy stuff? It’s still time for which the owner (business) is paying. Also. In most of the countries. Anyone making money as a freelancer/ gig driver/ etc can pay for benefits. I was working as a freelancer auditor and I was paying the healthcare/ retirement/ social benefits myself based on income. Ooh wait. They do tax evasion? Well, then it’s their problem.

[@acasualdatascientist54]

Its cuz you have white priviledge in the gig economy, the rest of us its hard to get good positions as a Freelancer.

[@DaveWrightTheCapitalist]

Ted Talks have gone way down hill. People need to find the gig that is correct for them.

[@god5535]

Well gee thank you Dave Wright The Capitalist

[@ReddingRed]

Don't volunteer to do a job if you think you're being mistreated. They're not forcing you into slavery. You chose ir.

[@GreenTurtle181]

Amazon is not the gig economy. Doesn't the subject at all.

[@god5535]

Yeah/mistake despite making great points. Also title is a bit risque. Then again with a name like that he can get away....

[@manniesupasport7977]

Amazon Flex IS gig economy. You are a private contractor. You use your own car and gas to deliver. Wear what you want, no company uniform. Work when you want. Accept & work 2-4 hour shifts 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Pay your own taxes. Taxes not deducted after work. Self employed Amazon Warehouse or Company Delivery Driver IS NOT gig economy. You are an Amazon Employee. Amazon sets your weekly hours/daily shifts. You wear a company uniform, use company vehicles/ equipment, company pays for gas. You have a salary & benefits. Taxes deducted every pay period.

[@jeff0997]

This is more accurate in the UK than the US and also more accurate last year than this year

[@47bricklayer]

I'll turn fifty eight in six days. I've been self-employed since I was twenty two. The very risks that Bloodworth believes is unacceptable, I take as quite normal.

[@Tubeytime]

How would you describe your father?

[@LittleBigPoet]

the difference is we want normal, comfortable, and safe jobs so we can raise families with a degree of predictability (like our parents did), we don't want to be self-employed. The gig economy is selling itself as a 'job', but really it is us being entrepreneurs, running all the risks and expenses (think of Uber), no entitlement to holiday, no real decision-making to what jobs we wish to take, penalties for substandard performance (I worked in a temp jobs agency where after being late or wearing the wrong shoes 3 times you'd be kicked out). All this without the huge gains that can come with entrepreneurship, and these temporary jobs/gigs are sadly expanding.

[@47bricklayer]

@@Tubeytime My father was the pastor of our church. He was a servant. He was Christlike. He was a real man. He died last April.

[@47bricklayer]

@@LittleBigPoet You cannot force others to provide for you what you are unwilling to provide for yourself.

[@LittleBigPoet]

@@47bricklayer Have you got actual arguments or are you just gonna repeat proverbs? I will repeat, we just want jobs like people in your generation had, stable jobs that pay decent wages to raise families. Clearly, you don't know what's like to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt even before we get a mortgage, as is the case with most underpaid educated Americans nowadays, and still need to deal with increased uncertainty of where the next payday is coming from because all companies have decided to not hire employees permanently anymore.

[@Alex-ws9lr]

Hello there! I bring some constructive criticism here. I think there are critical details and economic insight that gets missed out here. First of all, I see no relation between amazon and the Gig Economy. They may call their employees or themselves whatever they want, it is their behaviour that makes them what they are. And their behavior shows that they are a company driven by social engineers trying to manipulate their employees into being unrealistically productive at the rate they are paid, and them to be happy about it on top of that (what a joke). Nothing about this speaks "Gig Economy" except the fact that you can tell them to stuff it at any point, which you can do with any job. Importantly, companies like Uber (the first of its kind) didn't start off like this. Since they were unregulated, and therefore, not really taxed as heavily or interfered with, prices could be lowered while keeping drivers at a good wage rate. It is only when ultra-regulated sore taxi drivers started to complain and demand regulation (instead of their own de-regulation) that these companies had to find ways to make money. This also killed most competition as only established businesses, like Bolt, Uber and Cabify (in Europe) could stay in businesses. Competition would've likely fixed most of the problems you describe having as an Uber driver, like it has happened in Europe to a limited extent with the appearence of some competition mentioned earlier. This is because these companies need an AWFUL amount of drivers to provide a decent service, and when competition arises companies are forced to improve their conditions to attract enough workers. This also applies to delivery drivers and the like, it's a hard job and if you want to keep workers you need to satisfy them. No company beneficts from treating its employees like slaves if there's competition to snatch those workers at the first chance. Moreover, there is absolutely no mention on how small the "Gig Economy" market is in comparison wih the overall market. Due to its name it sounds like it's a huge phenomenon being applied to everything in life, but it's completely unrealistic to think that the market is overall moving in that direction for the simple reason that it's not profitable. Uber has not reported a SINGLE quarter of profits for a while now. Part of it is the massive marketing expense, admittedly. But in general it is more profitable for more companies to find good workers, train them and keep them relatively happy while being productive. Finding and training personnel is often risky, expensive and time consuming. Only very specific markets that require few or no qualifications can really make this work. And think about the implications of that. Put yourself in the position of a normal European Citizen. An unspecialized and low paying job is not attractive for the average educated European, and usually they have better options. Now put yourself in the shoes of a poor man, with barely any money, having to search the rubbish for clothes, food and simple appliances. Now, a company like Glovo (in Spain) tells you that if you buy their bag for 50 bucks you can start cashing in immediately. You also need some kind of vehicle, like a bicycle, but it's relatively easy to find one for cheap. A poor man willing to make an effort, and more importantly, ABLE to make an effort, only needs to save about 100 bucks (yes, bikes can go for 50€ if they're old) to start working at a job in which you can make UP TO a net of 3000€ per month if you work hard enough (I've gotten this from the workers themselves, I'm not making it up). By regulating and massively taxing these activities you are making it too risky and expensive to hire people in the market, and therefore wages go down, less people are employed and the standard for hiring goes up. Now onto the topic of vacation, sick pay etc. This is stated with the assumption that these things fall from the sky, apparently. While I don't dispute that it is nice that companies offer these beneficts, they're nothing but a mandated mechanism for governments to create the illusion that they're absolutely essencial to "protect the worker". In reality, every single thing the government gives you comes from taxpayer money (after the government deducts a good chunk for their salaries and corrupt practices, of course). Is it not obvious that a lot of businesses would profit from having these beneficts anyway because they would attract a great number of highly skilled and professional workers? By making it a mandate, small companies that would find it too expensive to implement all of these things at once are forced to raise their prices, loosing the competitive advantage they have over big corporations. They will still need to offer something to keep their workforce, but it wouldn't have to be every single benefict. This is evidently shown by the costs vs the salary of a worker. In Spain, where taxes are very high and Social Security very exppensive and innefficient, a minimum wake worker (1000€ per month) costs a staggering 2000€ per month to the company. That's a 100% rate!! How is a small business supposed to survive in these conditions? By either not hiring anyone and working twice as hard, or hiring people and loosing competitiveness against people like, let's say, Amazon. If you made it this far, whether you agree or not, thank you for reading!! I dream of a freer world where there's work and livelyhood for anyone that seeks them.

[@seth5394]

hey man, this is a great comment! wow! I really agree with what you said, especially about the falling from the sky part. it sounds like you are a fan of thomas sowell. its such a interesting subject between the two. Im thinking about building a gig app, but honestly am having reservations when i look at the dark side of this gig work. it can destroy a lot of jobs and does not benefit the worker as we have seen in the past few years. my model would have a system that takes less and less of a percentage of each transaction between the gigger and the seeker. and the seeker would be paying for it out of his pocket. the gig worker determines his own rate. the more transactions made with the service, eventually the percentage taken would be 0. what do you think about it?

[@malakmohsin8867]

this is amazing and i love how you have an opinion on this

[@snookerfreak2153]

The only job which is left is to influence people period.

[@Mr_Originality]

Right

[@haman7227]

Gig economy is modern serfdom all over again

[@terrance2405]

Thank you!

[@phil.camanducci]

Most of the people in the gig economy are part of it because there is no other choice of employment. Especially in poor countries such as Brazil uber drivers and people from similar "gig services" are working there not because they want flexibility or want to be their own bosses. It annoys me the focus of this talk blaming the gig economy instead of exploring the real problem. It was superficial and simple.

[@danki2000daniel]

Well said !

[@raaaaaaaaaam496]

Ok so now you want to make it harder for those people to get jobs by imposing unnecessary costs and forcing them to worse jobs? It’s literally just driving it doesn’t take skill it takes effort.

[@mamamariya8845]

Great vid 👍🏻

[@artandkim]

Excellent.

[@ranade316]

Of all places, english society is accepting this, that is dangerous.

[@ZawawiYangTerakhir]

Better work in gig economy in Malaysia.

[@SurfariFilms]

also. amazon is not the gig economy

[@stinkystu1]

It works for me, but not everyone saves money like I do. The gig economy isn't the problem. Professional consumerism is the problem.

[@roberttumaini5348]

Also, it should be clear that the gig jobs are actually supposed to be part-time or in simpler words, ways to make some extra income. Most of these gig jobs like hosting on Airbnb, delivering food for UberEats, or editing a video for a client on Fiverr don't require the worker to quit their main jobs. So, the gig economy shouldn't take the blame but personal planning (like prioritization and saving) should. Again, we're forgetting that this kind of jobs have allowed people to get jobs who wouldn't otherwise. For example, I have friends who edit videos on Fiverr who couldn't get jobs at production companies because they didn't have the required qualifications like degrees or previous experience. I have another friend who had an extra room in his house that he now lists on Airbnb to make some money, and now he's graduating university this year, September. There are risks in any job type. Let's not forget those stories of success and opportunities that were brought by the gig economy as well.

[@majorbey5421]

Some people dont have the privilege to save money, they go paycheck to paycheck because they have a family to feed

[@kristinakulikauskyte5964]

i was shure amazon shares gona drop here it comes :] thanks ;D

[@Santanilla]

His hate for Amazon did not prevent this guy to sell his book in Amazon 😂, all those awful labor conditions are also in part because there is a part of the labour force that abuses , and because of these abusers , the rest has to suffer the consequences.

[@petermizon4344]

WE ARE SLOWLY GOING NORTH KOREAN STYLE, PLEASE WATCH THIS AND LEARN ITS FRIGHTENING

[@tybaltpetronio132]

What a moronic comment. It shows you know or understand nothing about capitalism or North Korea. The last thing North Korea is is a nation living with a “gig economy”.

[@aularje]

Then, if you want work independently, use no platform, do It by yourself

[@rjjrdq]

gig economy is illegal in california.

[@priyasri111]

While I don't agree with some of the points he raised specially the salary and bathroom restrictions which I think is inhuman, I do believe a certain amount of discipline is required in order to avoid pilferage. It's a fact that goods purchased online get stolen a lot of times (here in France, most complaints at the police station concern theft of goods purchased online). I know what I am saying because I lost my items worth 80£ that I had bought via an online seller. Customers must be made to feel confident & secure while shopping online otherwise the businesse's reputation is at stake.

[@wolfwolf7498]

100%, just like the whole capitalism.

[@GursehejVirk48]

Watching this after I just made 5 bills driving uber today, don't listen to this guy. Get out there and hustle.

[@andrewmccoll1582]

5 dollar bills?

[@andrewmccoll1582]

There are China bots, Russia bots, now there are 1% bots

[@iunderyourbed96]

@@andrewmccoll1582 ur obviously not from around here

[@bigchiefmoney8966]

I would say that you probably made about 289 bills tops if you are quoting 500 you are not taking out all of the wear and tear and cost of your vehicle The silent killer depreciation is so vast you are not taking out tax and you are not taking out traffic tickets and airport violations that you get. Let’s not forget tolls try and getting your tolls back from Uber is a joke you always have to fight for them and review your trip and fight back for the real toll

[@brandonsheppard7925]

I think he means he has five new bills to pay now from all the money he lost driving for Uber.

[@lydiabeauvais6115]

Deep

[@47bricklayer]

Bloodworth does not consider having his best intentions for others imposed on them by force of law to be a usurpation of other people's best intentions for themselves. He believes that his best intentions for other people are so superior to their intentions for themselves that his intentions should be imposed on others by force of law.

[@Junt33]

@Friendlyjordies you should do a piece about this here in Australia

[@OriginalKarasu]

it is a sin that this video has so few views...

[@brendaechols5929]

My job is not my family. These jobs are not meant to be full time. It's good for fast money or fun but that's it

[@ChuggzGaming]

I have to strongly disagree with what he is saying.