September 8, 2023

World Bank: Demand for Online Gig Work Rapidly Rising in Developing Countries

World Bank: Demand for Online Gig Work Rapidly Rising in Developing Countries. “The ‘gig economy’ accounts for up to 12 percent of the global labor market—much higher than previously estimated—and holds particular promise for women and youth in developing countries. Demand for online gig work is growing rapidly, however, social protections for workers in this segment are still lacking, according to a new World Bank report.”

Research & Opinion 0
May 8, 2023

NBC News: ChatGPT is powered by these contractors making $15 an hour

NBC News: ChatGPT is powered by these contractors making $15 an hour. “[Alexej] Savreux is part of a hidden army of contract workers who have been doing the behind-the-scenes labor of teaching AI systems how to analyze data so they can generate the kinds of text and images that have wowed the people using newly popular products like ChatGPT. To improve the accuracy of AI, he has labeled photos and made predictions about what text the apps should generate next. The pay: $15 an hour and up, with no benefits.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
July 30, 2022

Rest of World: Werewolf erotica is the latest global gig work trend

Rest of World: Werewolf erotica is the latest global gig work trend . “The emerging web novel industry spans the globe, taking a business model from Asia, assembling a global supply chain of authors in lower-income countries, and paying them to churn out thousands of words a day for English-speaking readers in the West. Rest of World spoke to four current and former employees at these platforms, who described how the art of novel writing is broken down into a formula to be followed: take a popular theme like werewolves, sprinkle it with certain tropes like a forbidden romance, and write as many chapters as you can.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
March 15, 2022

When war comes to work: Tensions rise for Ukrainian workers at freelance marketplace (Washington Post)

Washington Post: When war comes to work: Tensions rise for Ukrainian workers at freelance marketplace. “A real-time information war is playing out among Ukrainian and Russian freelancers on internal communication channels operated by Toptal. The heated debates about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and misinformation is forcing Toptal to moderate sensitive geopolitical conversations. It’s also receiving backlash from pro-Ukraine freelancers, who want the company to take a stronger stance on the war. It’s a microcosm of the war playing out in the workplace and highlights the difficulties global companies must navigate when dealing with employees in a war zone.”

Around the Search & Social Media World 0
April 1, 2021

HuffPost: Congress Bailed Out Uber’s Workers. Now What?

HuffPost: Congress Bailed Out Uber’s Workers. Now What?. “With the coronavirus pandemic bearing down on the United States and Congress negotiating with the Donald Trump administration over a giant relief bill, Uber begged Trump not to leave out its drivers, who would normally not be eligible for unemployment benefits because they’re not regular employees. Congress soon created a whole new unemployment system that covered gig workers as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act in March 2020.”

COVID-19 0
March 28, 2021

AI: Ghost workers demand to be seen and heard (BBC)

BBC: AI: Ghost workers demand to be seen and heard. “Artificial intelligence and machine learning exist on the back of a lot of hard work from humans. Alongside the scientists, there are thousands of low-paid workers whose job it is to classify and label data – the lifeblood of such systems. But increasingly there are questions about whether these so-called ghost workers are being exploited. As we train the machines to become more human, are we actually making the humans work more like machines?”

Research & Opinion 0
March 15, 2021

The Grio: Maskless woman who attacked Uber driver arrested, 2nd woman to turn herself in

The Grio: Maskless woman who attacked Uber driver arrested, 2nd woman to turn herself in. “Malaysia King, one of the women caught on camera during an attack on a San Francisco Uber driver has been arrested while her friend, Arna Kimiai, plans to surrender to police for her role in the disturbing assault. In the days since their March 7 encounter with Uber driver Subkahar Khadka, King and Kimiai had been wanted by San Francisco police for assault and robbery. In video of the incident, Kimiai is seen hitting the driver and is also believed to have sprayed him with pepper spray after he ended the trip when she refused to wear a mask.”

COVID-19 0
March 11, 2021

Toronto Star: Uber, Lyft team up on database to expose abusive drivers

Toronto Star: Uber, Lyft team up on database to expose abusive drivers. “Uber and Lyft have teamed up to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints about sexual assault and other crimes that have raised passenger-safety concerns for years. The clearinghouse unveiled Thursday will initially list drivers expelled by the ride-hailing rivals in the U.S. But it will also be open to other companies that deploy workers to perform services such as delivering groceries or take-out orders from restaurants.”

Security & Legal Issues 0
November 6, 2020

My Journal Courier: Pandemic side gigs take hustle

My Journal Courier: Pandemic side gigs take hustle. “Side gig. Side job. Side hustle. It goes by many names and serves many purposes. For some, it’s a way to keep the lights on. For others, it’s an opportunity to save for a goal or follow a passion. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans have become unemployed. Many are turning to the gig economy to make money. And it’s booming.”

COVID-19 0
July 28, 2020

San Diego Union-Tribune: A COVID-19 death renews questions of Uber and Lyft’s responsibility to drivers

San Diego Union-Tribune: A COVID-19 death renews questions of Uber and Lyft’s responsibility to drivers. “The pandemic has dramatically raised the stakes in the years-long fight over what protections Lyft, Uber and other gig-economy companies should be required to provide workers. Adding to longstanding wage and benefit gripes, [Billie Sue] Matchke’s fate is now the nightmare scenario facing rideshare drivers everywhere. Some have recently gone beyond just wearing masks and wiping down door handles to also installing makeshift partitions in their vehicles to shield themselves from potentially infected customers. Advocates have argued that drivers shouldn’t be forced to risk death just to make ends meet, and have blasted Uber and Lyft for making it nearly impossible for drivers to collect state unemployment pay.”

COVID-19 0
June 8, 2020

CNN: Delivery workers navigate a pandemic, protests and curfews to make ends meet

CNN: Delivery workers navigate a pandemic, protests and curfews to make ends meet. “For months, gig workers have had to navigate all the complications and fears that can come with making deliveries during a pandemic, trying to stay safe while still doing enough to earn a living. Now many face the added challenge of doing all that amid widespread protests and strictly enforced curfews that vary by city.”

COVID-19 0
May 5, 2020

CNN: The stories of the people who bring you food

CNN: The stories of the people who bring you food. “Maybe you feel it, the weight in the air, this psychological force that makes it all seem heavier. We are told it might be grief, and it probably is, though I suspect it is also guilt. At least it is for me: guilt about not giving more, about not helping enough, about being a nonessential worker in a time of such great need. Let me tell you about two essential workers in St. Louis.”

COVID-19 0
April 24, 2020

WBUR: What It’s Like To Deliver Groceries For Instacart During An Outbreak

WBUR: What It’s Like To Deliver Groceries For Instacart During An Outbreak. “Twenty-six bottles of hand sanitizer. A hundred cases of water. Six 30-packs of toilet paper. These are just a few of orders that Theresa Woodford has received from Instacart customers during the past few weeks. And although these requests are about as likely to be fulfilled as Woodford snapping her fingers to manifest a cure for the coronavirus, she booked the orders because … what choice has she got?”

COVID-19 0

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