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ANDY JACKSON / STUFF
As independent contractors, Uber drivers are part of the job economy.
OPINION: The economy of the Great Hall is often presented as a way of getting rid of the 9 to 5 heavy tasks that most of us call a day's work. But it's a lie.
The economy of entertainment is a race to the bottom that will accelerate social and economic inequalities while enriching a handful of technicians. The concert economy is a matter of exploitation.
New Zealand lags far behind most developed countries in the adoption of short-term contracts and independent employment contracts that transform employees into independent contractors.
ALDEN WILLIAMS / STUFF
Spot and load the Lime scooters is another show that everyone can take.
Only one in 14 of us works twice, which would indicate that few of us use our spare time to be an Uber driver, reload Lime scooters or respond to an Air Tasker announcement.
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But the situation in the United States gives us a glimpse of a possible future here. Just over a third of its workforce, 55 million people, work in the entertainment sector.
Many of them can be completely satisfied with the situation. They are their own boss, free to adapt their professional lives to their personal lives and, in doing so, to live better.
This is an exceptional benefit. This is the kind of advantage that you would sacrifice a lot to have.
This is fortunate, as freelancers and independent contractors have to give up job security, sick leave and sick leave, KiwiSaver automatic contributions, coworkers and all workers' rights claims.
Above all, they must give up a regular income.
It works for people with highly desirable skills. But these qualified people represent only a fraction of the economy of the Great Hall.
The economy of the Great Hall is dominated by low-skilled, low-paying jobs, such as driving for Uber or a courier company.
Entry requirements for this type of work are low. A vehicle, no criminal record, time to do it and here you are.
But low barriers to entry lower wages and conditions. This is not fair, though, as independent contractors, they volunteer for work.
The error in the freedom of self-employed workers to be still young was revealed last year when the conditions under which courier drivers worked were in the spotlight.
Fourteen hours without a break, an increase in the number of deliveries and the absence of sick leave were normal. Many said they were treated as "slaves".
It would be naïve to think that the likes of Uber would be different. Or any technology company offering a concert job.
Although based on high ideals to create a better world, most of them now act like all other businesses and push the law to the extreme, in the pursuit of profit.
We should not let fashionable words such as "concert" suggest that the possibility of "monetizing" our free time is for our benefit and not theirs.
Last Tuesday, California lawmakers passed a bill paving the way for paid vacation and sick pay for independent contractors such as Uber drivers.
The workers were "cheated," they said, and it was a law to prevent them from being deceived.
Predictably, the concert companies have decried the law, claiming that it would kill the show economy.
It would not be so bad.
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