Older Workers and the Gig Economy
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 109,
May 2019
(pp. 372-76)
Abstract
As the workforce ages, how will the work lives of older people evolve? One way to ease into retirement is to move to the gig economy where workers choose hours and intensity of work that fit their needs and capabilities. However, older workers are often reaping the benefits of the latter end of an implicit contract while gig economy workers are paid their marginal product. We show that age/earnings profiles in the traditional labor market are different than for Uber drivers. While the move to the gig economy generates flexibility, older workers are paid less than their younger coworkers.Citation
Cook, Cody, Rebecca Diamond, and Paul Oyer. 2019. "Older Workers and the Gig Economy." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 109: 372-76. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20191042Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D26 Crowd-Based Firms
- J14 Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-labor Market Discrimination
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J23 Labor Demand
- J26 Retirement; Retirement Policies
- J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
- L84 Personal, Professional, and Business Services