Your Uber Eats driver is likely stressed and in pain

Gig economy workers report high levels of anxiety and even physical pain, a new survey from the University of Cambridge has found.

Constantly worrying about whether they’ll be able to pay their bills – due to the unpredictable nature of their work and the fact that they’re at the mercy of strangers to keep it – is a daily reality for those employed in the loosely regulated gig economy.

The gig economy is a labor market where people earn income through short-term jobs arranged through apps like Uber or Deliveroo. As self-employed workers, they usually lack protections such as minimum wage, sick pay, or holiday leave.

Two in three of such workers in the UK told Cambridge researchers that they work in fear of "unfair feedback” that could leave them jobless any time and experience anxiety over sudden changes to working hours.

One in four reported anxiety over their income potentially dropping, with over half saying they risk health and safety while working. The study also showed that 42% of workers suffer physical pain resulting from work.

Many reported spending 10 hours a week on average waiting for jobs to come through on the app. This means they’re logged on and working, but not making any money, according to researchers.

“Platform companies call themselves tech firms, but in practice they govern, control and profit from labour they claim not to own, without bearing employer responsibility,” said lead author Dr. Alex Wood, of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology.

The survey was carried out in 2022, when just under half a million people – typically, recent migrants – were employed in the UK’s gig economy. Researchers interviewed over 500 casual workers in the first survey of its kind in the country.

It was published in the journal Work, Employment and Society.

Work or exploitation?

The study offers a glimpse into a part of the labor market that operates in a legal grey area. While the gig economy provides workers with flexibility, it offers no guaranteed income, no sick pay, and only limited rights – which critics argue amounts to exploitation, not employment.

Delivery riders and ride-hailing drivers work as self-employed contractors on apps that use algorithms to match them with customers and pay a base rate per job – with higher rates during peak times, known as “surges.”

Companies do not publish data on workers or workloads, and the informal nature of app-based employment makes research difficult.

According to Prof Brendan Burchell, study coauthor and Cambridge sociologist, attempts to investigate the working conditions of gig workers have been hampered by the difficulty of identifying and accessing people doing the work.

“Classifying someone as self-employed doesn’t change the fact they can be economically dependent and exploited,” said Prof Brendan Burchell, study co-author and Cambridge sociologist.

Dr. Wood added, “If your job is at the mercy of a quick click on a stranger’s phone, it is likely to fuel a constant hum of uncertainty and anxiety, along with feelings of being judged, monitored, and replaceable.”