Prop 22: California Voters Save the Gig Economy

While the world is focusing on the US presidential race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joseph Biden, the app-based service companies have made big news in the Silicon Valley tech world: The gig economy has been saved by California voters who passed Proposition 22 with 60% majority. The entire gig economy was facing the threat of extinction from California Assembly Bill 5 that required all gig workers to be classified as employees with full benefits rather than contractors. The voters in heavily Democratic California state also defeated anti-business Propositions 16 and  21. Prop 16 would have significantly raised commercial property taxes while Prop 21 would have imposed stricter rent controls.  Bob Shrum, a former Democratic strategist and the director of the Dornsife Center for the Political Future at the University of Southern California, told the New York Times that “(T)he results in California show the Democrats that you can go too far. California is a very liberal state that is now resistant to higher taxes and welcoming to the new gig economy, which is where the industry was created.”  App-based ride-hailing company Uber has gone global and inspired many other entrepreneurs to experiment with the gig economy model.  Developing countries like Pakistan are seeing extraordinary growth in their digital economies.  Pakistan's digital gig economy has surged 69% during the COVID19 pandemic, putting the country among the world's top 4 hottest online freelancer markets

App-based Gig Economy

California Propositions:

California propositions are an example of direct democracy. Propositions are put up for popular vote during elections  to deal with issues by groups that feel strongly that the politicians are not serving their best interests. Passage of Prop 22 shows that the majority of Californians disagree with the Assembly Bill 5 passed their elected legislators. 

Gig Economy:

It is ironic that Democratic politicians in California, the birthplace of app-based gig economy companies,  are trying to kill the gig economy to please their labor union donors. They are ignoring many part-time workers who do gig work to supplement their incomes from regular jobs. On the other hand, the gig companies like Uber are showing flexibility to accommodate the concerns of gig economy workers by guaranteeing higher minimum wages and assistance with health insurance premiums. 

California Proposition 22:

Prop 22 exempts app-based companies like Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash from  California AB 5. The new minimum hourly wage under Prop 22 is around $16.80, which is higher than the minimum pay under fair labor standards, provisions and regulations. Gig workers will also get a stipend they could use to buy an insurance plan from Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace.  These provisions helped sell Prop 22 as a reasonable compromise to voters of the deep blue state.

Global Impact:

App-based ride-hailing company Uber has gone global and inspired many other entrepreneurs to experiment with the gig economy model. The passage of Prop 22 in California will likely help the world's largest app-based service companies prosper not just in California but the also serve as an example for the rest of the world. Developing countries like Pakistan are seeing extraordinary growth in their digital economies. 

Digital Gigs in Pakistan:

Pakistan's digital gig economy has surged 69% during the COVID19 pandemic, putting the country among the world's top 4 hottest online freelancer markets, reports  Payoneer, a global payments platform company based in Silicon Valley, in its latest report. Payoneer attributes it to government programs such as Punjab government's e Rozgaar program that has been offering free online courses in digital freelancing. The sudden rush to learn skills online boosted the demand for instructors. The Pakistan government filled this demand by hiring alumni of programs like e Rozgaar who were successfully participating in the gig economy.

Summary: 

Passage of Prop 22 is a strong repudiation of California politicians in a deep blue liberal state. California voters have shown they are willing to experiment with the new gig economy. They have told the politicians in no uncertain terms that they do not approve of excessive regulation and higher business taxes. App-based ride-hailing company Uber has gone global and inspired many other entrepreneurs to experiment with the gig economy model. The passage of Prop 22 in California will likely help the world's largest app-based service companies prosper not just in California but the also serve as an example for the rest of the world. Developing countries like Pakistan are seeing extraordinary growth in their digital economies. Pakistan's digital gig economy has surged 69% during the COVID19 pandemic, putting the country among the world's top 4 hottest online freelancer markets

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Uber Planning Pakistan Launch

Uber, the rapidly growing San Francisco based behemoth known for its taxi app,  appears to be getting ready to launch its service in Lahore, Pakistan, according to media reports.

A report in Tech In Asia points to the career page on Uber website that shows openings for “general manager”, “operations and logistics manager”, and a “marketing manager,” for Lahore,  Pakistan's second-largest city.

In fact, Uber has confirmed its plans to launch in Pakistan soon, according to TechJuice.

“We can confirm we are currently recruiting for a team in Lahore, and are very excited about launching in Pakistan as we see huge potential in the way we can help people move around their city safely and reliably,” Shaden Abdellatif, communications manager for Uber’s Middle East and Africa operations told TechJuice. “We are also excited about the opportunity for economic empowerment we can bring to the drivers we partner with.”

It makes sense given the size of the Pakistan's expanding urban middle class with its fast growing mobile broadband subscriptions combined with rising smartphone sales in the country.

Pakistanis are signing up for 3G and 4G services at a rate of 1 to 2 million new subscriptions a month. In September 2015 alone, Pakistan Telecom Authority reported 2.22 million new 3G and 4G subscriptions in the country. There's corresponding increase in demand for smartphones.

With over 18 million smartphones and mobile broadband subscriptions, Pakistan is ripe for a whole range of new businesses from e-commerce to gaming to various online services like Uber that are accessed through smartphone apps.

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