KUALA LUMPUR: Prof Emeritus Barjoyai Bardai, an economist with decades of public service in a top university, likens his current situation to that of a gig worker, and predicts that many other Malaysians may soon find themselves in similar positions.
Barjoyai, a former senior lecturer from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, explains that he has contracts with three different universities, each with different terms of employment, effectively treating each contract as a separate gig.
While gig work has traditionally been associated with food and parcel delivery riders and e-hailing drivers, Barjoyai notes that professionals such as doctors and electricians also often work under similar arrangements.
He points out that doctors who perform locums at different clinics and electricians known as chargemen who work for multiple factories at a time are essentially engaging in gig work.
Barjoyai believes that this type of employment is here to stay and expects it to become a common trend in various job sectors where individuals hold contracts with different employers.
He attributes the rise of informal work arrangements to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought about significant changes in how people work and companies operate.
As companies seek ways to reduce operating costs, he expects that more flexible work arrangements, similar to gig work, will become increasingly prevalent even for professionals.
However, Barjoyai emphasizes the importance of implementing rules and regulations to ensure that workers in gig-like arrangements have sufficient social protections.
Economist Prof Rajah Rasiah of Universiti Malaya shares similar views and states that gig work, particularly in the p-hailing and e-hailing industries, has been a lifeline for unskilled workers during the pandemic, when many faced retrenchment.
He highlights the need for guidelines to regulate gig work, not only for the customers who use such services, but also for the workers engaged in these activities.
A study conducted by Universiti Utara Malaysia on gig workers nationwide, primarily in the p-hailing and e-hailing sectors, revealed that 60% of these workers lack the financial resilience to cope with emergencies due to a lack of adequate savings.
The study’s principal author, Prof Shamzaeffa Samsudin, suggests that proposed regulations for p-hailing and e-hailing should aim to enhance workers’ bargaining power with the platforms they work for, enabling them to secure better benefits.
Prof Rajah of UM proposes going a step further by integrating gig workers into the economy and taxpayer base, issuing them social security numbers that can be used for allocating aid and subsidies.
He also suggests that individuals earning above the taxable income threshold should be required to file tax forms and proposes leveraging blockchain technology and e-invoicing to ensure transparent and accountable transactions for assessment by the Inland Revenue Department.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
