The growing popularity of on-demand online booking for a wide range of services – from ride sharing to repairing tasks or house help – or e-commerce orders is causing a mushrooming growth of relevant online platforms in the country. 

Also, more and more app-based gig workers, mostly the youth, are serving them as independent contractors for a living wage through freelancing, instead of waiting for the desired status as an employee.  

In 2021, Bangladesh’s gig workforce grew to around three lakh location-based gig workers, while around five lakh cloud workers made the country the second-largest online outsourcing destination. 

However, the platform economy is expanding without adequate protection of the gig workers’ interests, reveals a study by Oxford Internet Institute’s Fairwork project in partnership with local social enterprise iSocial and research firm DataSense. 

According to the Fairwork report “State of Work in the Bangladesh Gig Economy: Bangladesh Ratings 2022” that was published on Monday, nine major gig employers in the country scored poorly when the questions of fair pay, fair work conditions, fair contract, fair management that dictates the way how the workers are treated at work, and the fair representation or the right to make any collective move. 

The study was conducted based on interviews of 91 gig workers serving the nine gig platforms alongside the platform officials. 

Largest grocery online Chaldal, on-demand house help provider Hellotask, and diversified blue-collar service provider Sheba XYZ – each scored only 3 out of 10 – the highest score. This, however, is a better scenario than that in the last year when no platform in the industry scored above 1 out of 10. 

Ride sharing giant Uber scored 2 this year, while its ride sharing competitor also engaged in food delivery, Pathao, scored 1. Also, Foodpanda – the largest food delivery player, which is also delivering groceries nowadays, scored 1. 

Local ride sharing platform Obhai, Daraz’s food delivery platform HungryNaki, and Truck booking platform Truck Lagbe scored zero.

Despite so much deprivation, most of the gig workers expressed their overall satisfaction with the work opportunity their platform offers, which Dr Ananya Raihan, chief imaginator of Data Sense and iSocial, interprets as a local paradox in the populated country with fewer jobs. 

The Fairwork Report for 2022 was published at a launching event in the capital moderated by The Business Standard Editor Inam Ahmed. 

Read the full article here: https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/app-based-economy-expands-leaving-workers-unprotected-515318