Gig work as a manifestation of short-termism: Crafting a sustainable regulatory agenda

Commercial platforms were once lauded as a facet of the sustainable ‘sharing economy’. Today the short-termism associated with ‘gig work’ is widely condemned as an obstacle to sustainable development. This article begins by examining what is meant by ‘sustainability’, including how we might interpret and apply the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations (UN) and endorsed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The second substantive part of the article analyses contemporary practices associated with intermittent and insecure platform work which have been identified globally, with reference to longer term and inter-related economic, environmental and social effects. The third part reflects on how appreciation of these effects could shape a future reform agenda oriented towards sustainable development. It is argued that recognition of the desirability of sustainability could enhance the case for holistic legal reform, promoting collective solidarity and action across geographical and temporal borders, while traversing doctrinal boundaries, to make gig work (as we now know it) a thing of the past.