Employment in the so-called gig economy has boomed in recent years. Large digital platforms have disrupted traditional players particularly in the taxi,
private hire and logistics sectors with a business model of digitally mediated work
and flexible labour terms.
The sector has been an employment rights battle ground as platforms sought to
misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid employer obligations, as
well as tax and national insurance contributions. Having a huge workforce engaged on
completely flexible terms has allowed platforms to rapidly scale and build
competitive advantage from an excess supply of unpaid and underpaid workers who
wait for work, while depressing their own wages.