Thursday, 23 Jan 2020 06:01 AM MYTThe reported average income of gig workers was RM2,999, just a few hundred ringgit more than Bank Negara Malaysia’s base wage estimation to survive in any of the country’s major cities. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri
However, the ability to take on multiple jobs with flexible hours can be rewarding to the professional whose services are often sought after by firms that can offer lucrative pay.Khazanah Research Institute researcher Nur Thuraya Sazali, who authored “The Demise of Formal Employment? — A Literature Update on Informality”, a working paper explaining the trends and challenges of informal work, said the findings should be a concern for policymakers.
Nur Thuraya said the margins, though small, underpin the seismic transformation in employment trends that is shaking the global job market. This has led to calls to regulate gig work and accord its workers equal status to that of a formal employee. “Evidence from microdata analysis of developing countries suggests that participation into the informal economy arises from both exclusion and exit, and one enforces the other,” KRI said.
“This group of workers can choose which companies they want to work with to build their own portfolio, as well as manage their own time so that they can have a healthy work-life balance,” she said in an email interview with“They can choose to work on projects that they are passionate about and get paid a premium for their expertise.”Many said the hours can be long and gruelling if they are to make ends meet.