Directed by Ken Loach
Written by Paul Laverty
Starring Kris Hitchen, Debbie Honeywood, Rhys Stone, and Katie Proctor
Running time 1 hour 41 minutes

by Jaime Davis, The Fixer

Anyone who’s taken an Uber or Lyft, hired a babysitter from Care.com, found someone to clean their house via Handy, had groceries delivered from Instacart, taken a short-term job found on Fiverr or Upwork, or had dinner delivered by Skip the Dishes, Deliveroo, or Uber Eats is familiar with the gig economy. According to Harvard Business Review, since 2018, approximately 150 million workers in North America and Western Europe have left full-time positions to become temporary or independent contractors, either by choice or because of downsizing. Tempted by empty promises of being your own boss, setting your own rules, and not being just another employee in the traditional sense has brought many people to technology-driven gigs. Due to the often inconsistent nature of these roles, independent workers often experience increased stress levels, have poor or nonexistent health benefits, work unusual or long hours, and have a lack of control over their general employability. Anecdotally, many Uber and Lyft drivers I’ve spoken to over the years have extolled the virtues of clocking in and out when they want and being their own bosses. But most of these same drivers also indicated they work multiple jobs and work round the clock. Over the past ten years or so, I’ve pretty consistently held full and part-time jobs simultaneously, but always at positions where I was a regular employee. So what does it really feel like to be part of the gig economy?