The gig workers index: Mixed emotions, dim prospects

In 2021, I worked with features editor Peter Guest and a team of reporters and photographers across 15 countries to develop the Gig Worker Index for Rest of World. While the gig economy had been extensively covered in the U.S., there was far less reporting on gig work in non-Western European and non-North American countries. We wanted to explore what was happening in these regions through the lens of data. I scoped and executed the project, which included finding an international survey data partner, designing survey questions (with helpful inputs from regional editors), conducting data analysis, identifying storylines with reporters and editors, and creating visualizations for the final presentation.

I developed a Gig Worker Index to measure the working conditions of the jobs in those countries.

The project took about half a year to finish. The data confirmed my initial hypothesis: a country’s wealth and level of development correlated with gig workers’ labor conditions.

The project won international awards for technology reporting and interactive design.