‘Just because you don't see your boss, doesn't mean you don't have a boss’: Covid-19 and Gig Worker Strikes across Latin America (original) (raw)

Social distancing rules in Brazil in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulted in the paralysis of most economic activities. Measures were taken to provide support for maintenance of income and employment and to guarantee a minimum income for informal workers. Health and safety protections for healthcare and essential services workers received very minimal attention.

Latin America is experiencing an unprecedented crisis in its labor markets because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is reflected in a drastic contraction of employment, hours worked, and income. The outlook is even more worrying when considering that these impacts have been unequal and that the path of recovery, which is slowly emerging in the region, could be accompanied by a widening of labor and income gaps across different population groups. This crisis, therefore, would be exacerbating the high levels of inequality that existed before the outbreak of the pandemic, even though countries have made significant efforts to rapidly implement a set of policies aimed at sustaining employment and incomes. It is crucial to strengthen the labor institutional framework, particularly with regard to active labor market policies. Likewise, occupational health and safety have become a relevant element for any recovery strategies with safe and healthy employment.

Emerging research on the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic draws attention to the labor effects of the crisis in the Global South. Developing countries show high levels of labor informality, where most workers cannot work from home and depend on daily income. In addition, the scarce and late state aid makes it difficult for workers to cope with the economic hardships caused by the pandemic. This research explores the employment trajectories of workers throughout the ongoing pandemic in Chile: a neoliberal country with a strong male breadwinner culture and high levels of income inequality. Using longitudinal non-probabilistic data for Chilean employment, this study finds that men lost their jobs to a lesser extent and returned to the labor market faster than women. Likewise, male workers with family (with a partner and young children) remained employed in a higher proportion than female workers with family, and most of these women shifted from employment into care work. ...

In 2020, Latin America was gripped by an unprecedented labour crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article analyses the pandemic’s impact on employment and income dynamics, and the policies implemented by the countries in the region. Findings point to a severe contraction in employment, working hours and income in consequence of the sharp decline in economic activity. These impacts have fostered inequalities, and the pathway to recovery is widening employment and income gaps between different population groups.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has not only undermined global health but has also shaken the economy at large. Gig workers in the ride-hailing, goods delivery, and food delivery sectors, which are predicted as future jobs and categorized as essential jobs, are one of the jobs hardest hit by COVID-19. Gig work, currently characterized as piecework and without job security, where the workers depend on daily income, makes it one of the most vulnerable jobs. So when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, their income decreased drastically, and the lack of job protection forced them to live in poverty. This article analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gig workers in Indonesia. This study uses a mixed method in data collection that was carried out by in-depth interviews (52 people), focus group discussions (two times), and surveys (290 gig workers). We found that: (a) there was a 67% decline in income during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a downward trend also occurred before the pandemic due to the end of the honeymoon period; (b) the lack of job protection during the COVID-19 pandemic forced gig workers to work longer and work harder to get bigger income opportunities; and (c) gig workers' gain position is weak due to large queues of workers (marketplace power), jobs that can be replaced by other people at any time (workplace power), and weak organization of gig workers (associational power) makes them unable to win demands for protection and rights for digital gig workers.