Gig Workers: The New Employment Form in the New Economy

Abstract

Gig workers are part-time workers or freelancers offering their jobs and services via platform economy. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the plight of gig workers, in which in most cases, they do not receive similar benefits and perks associated with permanent jobs. This study explores the future direction of the gig economy in Malaysia. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 200 respondents from Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia in August 2020 based on purposive sampling. The results suggest that most of the respondents have at one point, during the movement control order (MCO), involved in gig jobs such as dropship, courier services, and food delivery. They feel that gig jobs have a good prospect and contribution to the economy. For the employers, benefits such as social security contributions and medical benefits received by permanent staff should be made available for gig workers subject to negotiated terms. For gig workers, they need to continue the process of upskilling and reskilling to remain competitive in the job market. Policymakers may utilize the information of the market structure and demand for the gig jobs labor market and devise appropriate strategies to support the gig economy as a new source of growth.