零工经济英语作文 Ⅰ App-based marketplaces like Uber and Lyft have revolutionised the way people find work and earn income. Workers today can choose many kinds of short-term and flexible jobs, whenever they want or need. Ⅱ Yet, this flexibility comes at a cost. Most of these “gig workers”, while they earn income, do not receive benefits, including healthcare, life insurance, disability insurance and pensions. For this new way of working to be a net positive for workers, the ensuing and emerging gap for traditional employment benefits will need to be filled. Ⅲ There are three potential options for filling this gap. A public solution would see governments step in to provide these benefits. That seems unlikely in the current climate, particularly in countries such as the US. A private solution would have companies start to treat their gig workers like employees and provide full benefits. But given the costs involved, analysts expect Uber, Lyft and most other companies, to refuse unless they are forced to by new laws or regulations. Ⅳ That means that in the short term, gig workers will have to carry the cost of their own benefits. That creates an opening for the third possibility: a new set of for-profit businesses could emerge to provide benefits tailored to gig workers. Ⅴ These private companies could find it very attractive to offer, on an aggregate basis, lower cost options for healthcare, workers' compensation and retirement savings that individual gig workers would never be able to negotiate on their own. Further, these companies could come up with innovative products aimed at these workers, including loans designed for individuals with intermittent but predictable income, or tools for running freelancer businesses. If governments eventually require gig platforms to step in and cover partial benefits, the start-ups would be well positioned to profit from helping them. Ⅵ Given how work has evolved, labour regulations must change as well. The existing work contract needs to be reimagined to extend beyond the typical categories of self-employed, full-time or part-time. This new “gig status” would be designed to protect flexible work (the reason people pursued gig work in the first place) while providing some economic protection, enabling them to weather financial shocks and provide a path to longer term economic stability. Ⅶ Under this scenario, workers would receive select benefits like health or disability insurance without compromising their employment status. Right now, the receipt of any type of “benefits” often triggers an official employment relationship requiring individuals to work more hours, losing their flexibility. Ⅷ It will take time to develop and implement a new framework that strikes the right balance between flexibility and economic security. We know that work brings more than just income: it also provides dignity, purpose and social connections. A reimagined work contract would allow every worker to achieve their full potential, on their own terms. 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/5b51bc425bfafab069dc5022aaea998fcc22402a.html