While no one could have predicted the trends and reality of 2020. Let’s face it, no one predicted restaurants would all shut down in 2020 and ghost kitchens became the norm. This year, however, we enter armed with some knowledge of what we might see conspire in the gig economy. As more and more people rely on the service industry amidst multiple global lockdowns, the gig economy matures and could see significant growth and changes. 

Here are some gig economy trends and predictions to look out for in 2021 if you’re a driver.

The Gig Economy Will See More Regulations

Unfortunately, the law, especially when it comes to labor regulations, still leans towards the traditional employment model. Nevertheless, with more gig workers stepping up and industry leaders campaigning for rational regulations, it seems things might change. 

One of the areas we hope to see a change in is retirement. Gig workers do not receive any 401(k) but do contribute to self-employment taxes. It will not be long before retirement structures are broadened by policymakers to cater to gig workers and contractors. 

A Gig Workers Union

One of the conventional things that we may witness repeat is the unionizing of gig workers. Gig worker unions are still not the norm. This is because gig workers are not classified as employees. But recent years showed us that people are rallying for this to change. 

Gig Brands Will Be Part Of Vaccination Accessibility

One of the challenges of the year ahead is that things may never go back to normal if all or at least most of the population does not get access to the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Lyft announced that it is ready to offer discounted and possibly even free rides to at-risk people to travel to and from their vaccination appointments. They have estimated around 60 million rides to be included in this program. 

Uber has already been a part of this by sharing its expertise and resources to bring the vaccine to the people. They have also used the Uber app to provide information about the vaccine to the general public. 

More People Will Join The Gig Economy

The pattern for a growing gig economy is inevitable. A study found that more than half of workers believed gigs on the side could secure their economic future better than holding just a typical day job.