Is the Gig Economy Changing the Rules of Work?

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More than 70 million Americans now do some form of freelance or gig work. For many, the appeal is flexibility: the freedom to choose when, where, and how much to work. But that flexibility sometimes comes with a cost. Gig platforms give companies a workforce they can scale up and down with demand, while shifting more of the risk onto workers, who often lack the benefits and protections of traditional employees. In July, a U.S. Government Accountability Office report found that ride-hailing and delivery platforms were among the largest employers of workers receiving SNAP and Medicaid benefits in 11 states. So is gig work creating a fundamentally new way of working, or simply a new way for…