The real problem, if you look at it from first principles, is the lack of US government protections/services for all workers.
If our government provided healthcare, eduction, a real pension program, non-terrible unemployment programs, etc. (as it works in most other developed countries) it would not matter if you are a gig worker or full-time employee. There would be no way to exploit you and gain a competitive advantage by hiring you as a contract worker. Companies and workers would be free to arrange employment simply around money and time. Benefits would not matter, and thus, the employment market would become more efficient.
The fact that US companies are wholly responsible for the quality of life of their employees is totally hilarious in a modern world where you don't work for the same company for your entire career. You can go from a 1st-world standard of living to a 3rd-world one simply by changing employers in the US. It's absurd.
If our government provided healthcare, eduction, a real pension program, non-terrible unemployment programs, etc. (as it works in most other developed countries) it would not matter if you are a gig worker or full-time employee. There would be no way to exploit you and gain a competitive advantage by hiring you as a contract worker. Companies and workers would be free to arrange employment simply around money and time. Benefits would not matter, and thus, the employment market would become more efficient.
The fact that US companies are wholly responsible for the quality of life of their employees is totally hilarious in a modern world where you don't work for the same company for your entire career. You can go from a 1st-world standard of living to a 3rd-world one simply by changing employers in the US. It's absurd.