Now, How About Doing The Same In The U.S.?

     From Reuters:

Tech giant Uber (UBER.N) and delivery apps DiDi and Rappi have proposed offering [Mexican] social security benefits to workers in Mexico for the first time ahead of a new government bill set to regulate the gig economy.

The companies said in a statement on Wednesday, co-signed by worker-rights activist groups, they were open to covering drivers and couriers who work an average of more than 40 hours a week on one or more platforms.

They stopped short of agreeing to classify drivers as employees, however, and few details were given on how payments towards social security costs would be divided.

Mexican Labor Minister Luisa Alcalde has said officials are working on a bill that would bring gig workers into the "formal economy," although the timeline is still unclear. ...

The Gig Economy And Social Security Disability

     I wish we had a good study on how the "gig economy", that is people who work in various sorts of non-traditional employment such as temp work, being an Uber driver, etc., affects Social Security disability. Some researchers associated with the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College have a report out on the subject. Unfortunately, it doesn't answer any questions that seem important to me but, at least, it's a start. Maybe these researchers or others will keep working on it. 

     I'd really like to know whether the existence of the gig economy helps people avoid filing disability claims. Maybe they can't sustain regular, full time employment but maybe they can sustain intermittent employment, so long as they can choose when they work. If it does, is this truly a good thing? Gig employment, from what I've seen, mostly leads to impoverishment. It just takes a bit longer to get there than if you're fully unemployed.