ABSTRACT
The ‘gig-economy’ is the name given to virtual marketplaces created by online platform companies to allow consumers to search for service providers. Though the size of the gig economy is inherently difficult to measure, from 2003–2013, the number of ‘non-employer businesses’ associated with the gig-economy grew by over 1 million. On-demand employment is growing at a rapid rate along with the supply of gig-workers who provide their labour on a short-term basis via digital platform technologies. The genius behind the gig economy is that at any given time, human capital that might otherwise be working is under-utilised or dormant. Despite the relative newness of this work arrangement, gig-economy non-employer businesses have already been hit with numerous lawsuits related to or affected by how they classify their workers. The independent contractor relationship significantly limits the rights and protections afforded workers, and, by extension, it significantly reins in costs for businesses.
