Attorney Quoted on DOL Data on 'Gig Economy'

In the Law360 article “'Gig Economy' Has Shrunk, DOL Data Show,” Rich Meneghello comments on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) statistics on the growth of the gig economy. The DOL’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an unexpectedly low rise in the gig workforce that doesn’t reflect the robust gig economy powered by companies such as Uber, Lyft, and Handy.

"Some recent studies of the gig economy have suggested it’s far larger than the DOL suggests," Rich said, referring to a 2016 analysis by Ivy League economists that found almost 16 percent of workers primarily perform alternative jobs.

The DOL’s survey only included workers who perform gig work as their primary job and not part-time. Rich worries that their results “could cause regulators and lawmakers to decide that the gig economy is a novelty, or not very significant.”

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