Back to the future: The gig economy and underemployment

Citation

Lafuente C, Scarfe R & Singleton C (2018) Back to the future: The gig economy and underemployment. The Alan Turing Institute [Blog] 02.11.2018. https://www.turing.ac.uk/news/back-future-gig-economy-and-underemployment

Abstract
First paragraph: These ought to be happy times for workers: unemployment rates in the UK, US and parts of the EU are at historically low levels. However, underemployment (people working less than they would prefer) is increasing, and wages have not been keeping up with rising prices. How did this happen, and what role is technology playing? Part of the answer may lie in the resurgence of the so-called ‘gig’ economy, illustrated by the following story: