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Research Outline

Prepared for Chelsea M. | Delivered November 6, 2020

Gig Worker HR Concerns

Goals

To understand the main concerns of gig workers from an HR/benefits point of view.

Early Findings

  • Some advocates have called for "portable" benefits for gig workers, allowing them to take benefits with them as they move between gigs.
  • Coming out of the pandemic is the understanding of the important for unemployment benefits for gig workers. The CARES Act temporarily extended this, leading to calls for a more permanent arrangement.
  •  Google's contract workers infamously made the news by demanding benefits equal to the company's full-time workers.
  • Some things these workers were demanding are health care coverage, bonuses and intangible benefits like training and certification assistance.
  • In one survey, workers ranked health care coverage and paid vacation as the top benefit motivators.
  • Similarly, up to one-quarter of non-traditional workers report forgoing medical treatment due to high costs of their marketplace plans. Access to the marketplace, of course, then remains extremely important to gig workers.
  • Very few gig workers, as well, have access to retirement plans. Only 7% of temp agency workers surveyed can access employer-sponsored retirement compared to 46% of traditional workers.