Gig economy: legal framework needed to avert social costs

Singapore

WITH legislation surrounding gig workers likely to be debated in Parliament soon, pertinent issues to be addressed include safety nets for self-employed persons as well as skills development in order to maintain employability and mobility between sectors.

Any update in legislation would have huge implications for all stakeholders. Tech companies, which have built their on-demand businesses on a large pool of flexible "freelancers", could find themselves scrambling to adapt their cost structures should Singapore decide to acknowledge these people as employed workers.