The Covid-19 crisis is hurting Asia’s gig economy workers and they want the government to help
- The number of gig workers in Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia is growing and their incomes have been hit by the coronavirus crisis
- But the outlook for laws to protect them through sick leave and medical benefits looks bleak
Woo will have to redo his marketing and promotion when his film launches later in the year, but he is not the only one impacted – down the line, there are 20 to 30 freelancers who have had their incomes affected by the delay.
“We’ve had a few people who were working with us and their work got delayed, too,” Woo said. “Then there are also others who would come in during the premiere, people who do catering, extras acting as zombies, social media folks who will write blogs, and publicists.”
Such delays, which are occurring more regularly as countries grapple with the coronavirus, are hurting the region’s freelancers.
“This is the current predicament faced by many of my peers in the events and entertainment industries. The impact of the virus has been terrible,” said the 30-year-old. He added that freelancers, who form the “backbone” of these industries, were typically paid only after the completion of a project, so any cancellation could result in a total loss of income.