Publications

Well-being and Mental Health in The Gig Economy

This policy brief provides research evidence into the work- ing conditions of the UK music industry that indicates the necessity to consider the future of work not only from an economic or employment law perspective, but also in terms of wider societal implications that include the health and well-being of workers.

In the last decade or so, casual, short-term forms of employ- ment have increased significantly. This development has been linked to deindustrialisation and, more generally to the expansion of neoliberal economics globally1. These changes have had a significant impact on labour relations as employ- ers have moved away from offering long-term employment contracts favouring instead ‘flexible’ and freelance work, often based on zero-hours/on-demand contracts.

This mode of employment is now commonly referred to as the gig economy. These working conditions are often described as being particular to the so-called digital economy and its underlying business models. However, long before the arrival of the internet there certainly have been many industries that relied on this ‘work for hire’ model such as the building trade, agricultural work and many of the skilled trades including areas of cultural labour. However, the crea- tive industries are indeed characterised by these working conditions, where self-employment and short-term project based work have been the norm for decades2.