Gig Economy
Also called: freelance economy, gig work, independent contractor work
The gig economy is labour sold as discrete jobs rather than employment — rideshare, delivery, freelance contracts, platform work. The financial consequence is that costs employers normally absorb move to you: payroll tax doubles into self-employment tax, there's no employer pension match, no paid leave, and no unemployment cover. A rough rule for pricing gig work is that a contractor rate needs to be roughly 25–40% above the equivalent employee rate just to break even on benefits and tax.