This kind of bargaining relies on strong unionization. But in the U.S., many gig economy workers are classified as contractors, not employees, limiting opportunities for collective bargaining.
Dr. Stephany sees opportunities for governments to change federal policies to better support workers, such as the European Union’s establishment of minimum rights for gig economy contractors. Dr. Stephany also points to Estonia, Lithuania and Sweden’s facilitation of easier tax payments and income reporting for Uber drivers, a policy that eases friction in platform workers’ access to social security benefits.
Creating re-entry support for working parents
American women are struggling to re-enter the workforce after many gave up their jobs in response to the disproportionate demands placed on them during the pandemic.
Now, working mothers are facing brutally hard choices about whether to stay home or to search again for work. This decision has been made easier for many British women who, thanks to the country’s furlough policy, stayed employed throughout the pandemic with the government choosing to pay partial salaries in the interest of avoiding mass unemployment. “This means it has been seamless to bring those employees back to work when demand picked up again,” said Thomas Pope, deputy chief economist at the Institute for Government, based in London.
Still, new polling shows nearly a third of British parents are concerned their caring responsibilities will make them more vulnerable to layoffs when furlough ends. “I do not think that extending the furlough scheme, especially once the economy is ‘back to normal’, is the solution to potential problems for working parents,” Pope said. “Instead, any solution will be related to flexible working, which we would expect many employers to adopt.”
In both countries, Amanda Taub, our Interpreter columnist, points out that supporting flexible re-entry is essential to avoid long-term regression in gender equality. She points to Sweden, which heavily subsidizes day care and has one of the highest rates of female labor participation in the developed world, as one example of success. She also identifies the need for more predictive policymaking, including clarity around reopenings, and a functioning health care system as essential support for parents planning their return to work.
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