Gig economy needs law shakeup, says Agoge
Rapidly changing technology is putting pressure on employment law and risking workers’ rights, an employment specialist says.
More people are signing up to work on casual and short-term contracts to take advantage of new technologies that reinvent and make traditional business models more efficient.
But many contract workers have lost basic protections afforded to permanent employees, such as the minimum wage, holidays or parental leave.
Social enterprise recruitment company Agoge’s founder, Andrew Nicol, said the emergence and continuing rise of the gig economy had been driven by new technological companies. But there had been a trade-off between flexibility and pay.
‘‘No-one really knows what the future looks like,’’ Nicol said.
‘‘Everyone’s trying to guess but there is no doubt technology will continue to change entire industries. Gig workers not working for fair rates is a concern and if laws don’t change for how they’re paid, people will be forced to accept jobs with lower pay so they’re not replaced by a robot.’’
Employment law needed a shake-up quickly to keep up with technological change, he said.
‘‘Most businesses don’t feel they have the responsibility to look after training their workers for the future. They’re thinking just for the next financial year, not long term.’’
Humankind founder Samantha Gadd said low- and middleincome workers would be most affected by technology change.
‘‘Only a small proportion of people will actually prefer working flexible hours. Most people can’t afford to raise kids on changing hours ... They need stability.’’
Gadd said the skills of the future were soft skills, including ‘‘creativity, verbal and social’’ skills. ‘‘Problem solving and thinking outside the box cannot be replaced by a machine.’’
But Nicol said with the Government’s planning and collaboration with businesses, New Zealand could create a blueprint for the future of work. ‘‘New Zealand’s size has created a real opportunity to work out what a gig economy will look like while still protecting residual income.’’
For information on the 2018 Deloitte Fast 50, including entry criteria, visit www.fast50.co.nz.