The Side Hustle Safety Net: Precarious Workers and Gig Work during COVID-19

Alexandrea J Ravenelle,Erica Janko,Ken Cai Kowalski

doi:10.1177/07311214211005489

Alexandrea J Ravenelle, Erica Janko + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/07311214211005489

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Abstract

While social distancing measures are essential in limiting the impact of a pandemic, such measures are often less feasible for low-income groups such as precarious workers who continue to travel on public transit and are less able to practice social distancing measures. In this paper, based on in-depth remote interviews conducted from April 2020 through June 2020, with more than 130 gig and precarious workers in New York City, we find that precarious workers experience three main hurdles in regard to accessing unemployment assistance that can be broadly categorized as knowledge, sociological, and temporal/financial barriers. Drawing on worker interview responses, we have named these responses: (1) Didn’t Know, (2) Didn’t Want, and (3) Can’t Wait. These challenges have led workers to turn to gig and precarious work, further highlighting the inequities of the pandemic. As a result, for some workers, so-called “side hustles” have become their primary social safety net.

Highlights

Precarious work continues to grow as labor market risks are increasingly shifted from employers and governments to workers (Beck 1992, 2000; Hacker 2006; Kalleberg 2009)
The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program provided access to unemployment funds to independent contractors, and a supplemental $600 a week benefit through July 2020, states faced an unprecedented number of claims, and workers experienced extensive delays in processing payments
We find that precarious workers experience three main barriers in regard to accessing unemployment assistance that can be broadly categorized as knowledge, sociological, and temporal/financial hurdles

Summary

Introduction

Precarious work continues to grow as labor market risks are increasingly shifted from employers and governments to workers (Beck 1992, 2000; Hacker 2006; Kalleberg 2009). Often conducted through platforms such as Uber, TaskRabbit, Instacart, and Rover, is the epitome of precarious work: the work is so temporary that a “gig” may last only a few minutes, and workers—usually classified as independent contractors—are outside the social safety net of workers’ compensation, social security contributions, paid leave, or health insurance (Ravenelle 2019). As a result, these workers have been especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans with fewer resources are less prepared for natural disasters and have a harder time recovering (Fothergill and Peek 2004), yet little is known about the impact of a one-two punch of a worldwide pandemic, followed by a severe recession, on precarious workers

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