Gig workers rising

This series is a collaboration with Rest of World.

The gig economy has changed how we work, live, and communicate. It has also led to tens of millions of jobs, creating a new class of workers without the rights or protections most of us take for granted.

In Mexico City, growing numbers of female delivery workers have taken to gig work to make a living. But, as more women join apps like Uber, DiDi and Rappi seeking flexibility, many find themselves exposed to road accidents, crime, and gender violence.

In Vietnam, gig workers for platforms like Grab, Be and ShopeeFood have had no choice but to power on through increasingly extreme weather, from heatwaves to floods and storms, delivering food, packages, and people come rain or shine.

In South Africa, many migrants and refugees end up working for food courier companies, navigating dangerous roads. As gig workers they are considered contractors, and do not qualify for benefits like sick leave, disability cover or medical insurance. They also cannot join formal unions.

And in India, workers for popular home services app, Urban Company, face a tough present and a highly uncertain future, facing pressure to perform for an ever-more demanding algorithm.

In the face of these growing challenges, now, gig workers are fighting back.

From Ho Chi Minh City to Johannesburg, workers are organizing online and offline, building makeshift support systems, and holding companies accountable.

These are the stories of some of those workers who are helping reinvent the rules of the global gig economy.