February 2023 / Gig Worker Research
The Workers Lab & Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative
The Workers Lab envisions a society where all workers are safe, healthy, and secure. Its purpose is to give new ideas for and with workers a chance to succeed. The Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative aims to identify, develop, and amplify solutions that address the challenges of today while building toward a future in which workers are safe, empowered, and equipped to thrive in our changing world.
The Gig Worker Learning Project is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to better understand gig workers and the challenges they face.
For several years now, the conversation about gig work and the future of work has been hampered by the lack of good data. That’s why we’re thrilled that Sol Center’s first grant supports the Gig Worker Learning Project, a participatory research project by The Workers Lab and the Aspen Institute Future of Work Initiative, seeking to understand gig workers’ needs and the solutions that will impact them most.
The first phase of the project, which took place over 2022, included early stakeholder outreach and a landscape scan of existing gig workers research. The Gig Worker Learning Project published its findings from that analysis in February 2023, and considers several questions, such as:
- What is the “Gig Economy”?
- What are gig workers doing to make money?
- Who are gig workers?
- How do digital platforms affect the experiences of gig workers?
- How are gig workers using their incomes?
- What kinds of benefits and protections exist for gig workers?
This is a valuable resource for anyone seeking to better understand gig workers and the challenges they face, and definitely worth a read!