How can gig workers be protected?

SLOWLY - and mostly digitally - some work is returning to the gig sectors that have been hit hard by Covid-19. But the business shutdowns brought on by the pandemic have accentuated, starkly and severely, the poor job security faced by freelancers, from website developers, theatre actors and sports coaches to ride-hailing drivers and insurance agents.

In this Saturday's edition of The Business Times Weekend, Brunch discusses how the interests of the self-employed could be protected and enhanced, even as many gig workers say they chose the freelance route with eyes open, giving up employment perks for the work flexibility they prize.

Would you protect your house with the latest security and alarm systems, smart bells and whistles - only to leave the front door open? This is essentially the scenario with companies that have their IT systems properly cyber-secured but leave vulnerable their OT (operational technology) networks, says Yaniv Vardi, CEO of Claroty. OT networks are the vital nervous systems of big industrial facilities such as power plants. And for Claroty, which counts Singapore's Temasek as an investor, keeping critical infrastructure safe from hackers is a huge and growing market opportunity. Find out more in The Raffles Conversation.

With the value strategy having under-performed growth for the past decade and, on some measures up to two decades, should value investors still cling on to their conviction? Our Value Insight columnist looks at the evidence behind the question: Will value still work? And in the run-up to the 75th session of the UN General Assembly next week, Broad View points out that populists have misled by equating international cooperation with cosmopolitan elitism.