Gig economy workers should be reclassified as 'independent employees', says think tank

PETALING JAYA: Gig economy workers should be reclassified as "independent employees" as policymakers lack the necessary data on them to form a sound regulatory framework that will provide a more robust social safety net to assist them, says the Research for Social Advancement (Refsa).

The non-profit think tank said, in its report titled "Conceptualising the Gig Economy in Malaysia", that the gig economy is currently being treated as a separate silo of the economy with its workers facing many social and economic adversities and they are often being exploited by platform providers.