[sjbase]

> The survey counted unpaid work as "time spent looking for tasks, earning qualifications, researching requesters through online forums, communicating with requesters or clients and leaving reviews, as well as unpaid/rejected tasks/tasks ultimately not submitted."

These hidden costs are almost identical in the world of independent freelance work. Similar for "gig" workers as well. An Uber/Lyft driver told me he aims for 10 hours per day, which usually takes an extra 4 hours (14 total) of unpaid relocating, waiting around, etc.

My hope is that people view this as the cost of autonomy, but I fear most people aren't pricing it in.

[tomjen3]

Presumably they would find out about those costs relatively fast.

But I mean those costs have always been part of the reason freelancers are more expensive than employees (the other being the increased flexibility).

What seems to happen now is that, increasingly, free lancers are cheaper, which suggests that employees are paid above the price they could expect, if there weren't rules about minimum wage.

[s73v3r_]

Freelancers had the ability to set their price. With most of these gig apps, you have exactly zero say in how much is being charged.

[emodendroket]

Well that's one conclusion we could draw. Another is that these services are illustrating the necessity for robust regulation of employers who would pay less than minimum wage.