Gig workers help governments lead the fight against Covid-19

The global challenge of Covid-19 has led to an unprecedented way of life, and with governments around the world asking citizens to stay at home, to lend a helping hand towards the fight against the coronavirus outbreak. Gig workers around the world from ride-hailing to delivery and professional services have stepped up their efforts to ensure minimal disruption to life for the public, says a report.

Ola Mobility Institute (OMI), a policy research and social innovation think-tank, has released a report, ‘Leveraging and Protecting the Gig Economy against Covid-19 - Measures by Gig Economy and Governments around the World.’ The report summarises the actions of both government and platform companies in leveraging the gig economy to fight against Covid-19, and highlights the role of governments, platforms companies and gig workers in providing essential services to society, crisis management, accelerating recovery and building resilience.

Speaking on the report, Carson Dalton, senior director, Ola Mobility Institute said, “Covid-19 is an unprecedented crisis of our time. Under these extraordinary circumstances, gig workers and platform companies are adapting quickly and leveraging their workforce to ensure transportation services, delivery of essential commodities and medicines are available to the most vulnerable populations. Social partnerships and agility of platform companies are helping people tide over this crisis.”

The Covid-19 outbreak has put a pause on established healthcare and economic systems in the world, necessitating large-scale economic and financial interventions by governments and businesses to minimise the hardships. The report provides an outlook into the fiscal and non-fiscal measures adopted by governments and platform companies around the world specifically for gig workers due to this global pandemic.

The report findings calls for a collective effort to strengthen social partnership with platform companies to fast-track the recovery process from the crisis and build a resilient future.