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Low-skilled labor groups represented by migrant workers are most significantly affected by the epidemic prevention and control measures, with significant declines in employment opportunities and consequently lower incomes. As the [COVID-19] pandemic draws to a close and the social scars from the control measures need to heal, it is critical to provide adequate employment opportunities for migrant workers in Japan and to find appropriate responses to boost incomes.

This paper examines: the impairment of employment opportunities and income levels of migrant workers in the epidemic; structural employment difficulties faced by migrant workers; challenges for migrant workers in the context of industrial intelligence; digital labor platforms create new employment forms and jobs opportunities for migrant workers; and a policy system that combines flexible employment protection and labor skills upgrading.

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This paper examines the experiences of self-employed online freelancers working on digital labour platforms during the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic. It is based on interviews with freelancers and platform managers and experts in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Their experiences during COVID-19 reveal issues of asymmetric power vis-a-vis platforms. Notably, they reported lack of transparency and certainty in their contracts with platforms, lack of power in negotiating with clients, and limited ability to engage with clients on other platforms. In addition, they often experienced difficulties in accessing government temporary supports for businesses during the pandemic. The paper puts forward policy recommendations to address these issues.

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Although studies on digital labour platforms demonstrated how the internet has opened up access to income opportunities in the developing world, an exploration of how informal workers use the internet to access work without an intermediary is missing. Using data from digital ethnography and interviews with workers in Indonesia, this article examines how platform-based motorcycle taxi drivers and domestic workers accessed work through social media in the time of [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 when the platforms were not allowed to operate. The evidence suggests that while social media can offer increased opportunities for workers, their success was largely dependent on their social networks and bounded by the algorithms designed by platform owners.

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Gig work refers to forms of labour that are mediated by online platforms, which are contingent, piecemeal and individualised, offering little in the way of employment rights, protections or capacity for collective organising. It represents long-term trends towards the neoliberalisation of work, which until recently, have been disproportionately experienced by exploited, precarious workers in the global South. In the context of global North nations such as Aotearoa New Zealand, evidence has linked the growth of gig work with poor health outcomes for workers, particularly for ethnic minorities and women, outcomes which have been exasperated by the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, little is known about the experiences of gig workers in Aotearoa New Zealand, including the nature and quality of their day-to-day work, or how they have negotiated the disruption and risk brought to bear by the COVID-19 pandemic. Largely erased from the conceptual frameworks examining gig work are the voices of workers. This white paper takes a Culture-Centered Approach (CCA) to gig work, seeking to co-create voice infrastructures in partnership with gig workers, attending to the classed, raced, gendered nature of gig work, and the ways in which the structural characteristics of gig work which ingrain precarity are exacerbated by the pandemic. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with participants who are currently or have recently worked as rideshare or food delivery gig workers, this report argues that platformed work - organised and mediated through an online platform or app, is structurally distinct from traditional forms of work.

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Whether on the way down, or on the way up, the dramatic economic fluctuations experienced during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have highlighted the vulnerability faced by workers in non-standard jobs (including casual work), and accelerated the general structural trend toward insecure work. The brunt of the employment downturn associated with both waves of COVID-19 lockdowns was borne by workers in various forms of insecure work: casual jobs, part-time positions, and other very insecure jobs (including precarious forms of self-employment and gigs). Even when the labour force (temporarily) regained some of the ground it lost in the initial stages of the pandemic, employment was restructured again to reflect an even more intense degree of insecurity. Most new work (while it lasted) was concentrated in casual jobs, part-time positions, and other insecure roles. Renewed lockdowns beginning in mid-2021 then threw hundreds of thousands of insecure workers out of their jobs again.

In short, workers in casual and insecure work are truly the shock troops of the pandemic: sent en masse to confront a powerful enemy, knowing full well their casualties will be enormous. The expansion of casual and insecure work reflects a very one-sided vision of 'flexibility'. Employers can hire and fire labour precisely when it is needed. But the risks and costs of the resulting instability in employment are shifted onto the backs of workers who can least afford it. This has been harshly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. The author concludes that the resulting hardship and polarisation from the overuse of casual and insecure work arrangements will hold back Australia's recovery for many years to come. It should be addressed urgently with measures to limit casual employment to situations which genuinely reflect ongoing fluctuations in work; providing basic protections (like paid sick leave) to all workers, regardless of status; and making the creation of stable, decent jobs the top priority of fiscal and industrial policy as Australia climbs back from this unprecedented crisis.

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Almost a year into the crisis, the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic still shapes the social and economic life of the country. Though precise international comparisons are not without difficulties, there is now compelling evidence that the UK suffered the greatest contraction in real [gross domestic product] GDP across the G7 countries. Though there was some recovery over the summer, the latest [Office for National Statistics] ONS data shows an uptick in unemployment, falling employment and a stagnation in job vacancies. The government has recently announced a cautious release of the current lockdown. However, even the best-case scenario involves tight restrictions on economic activity for at least another quarter. This report represents the third in a series of policy briefs focused on the experience of self-employed workers throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Since the first release in May, it has become widely acknowledged that the self-employed are disproportionately affected by the crisis. The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the government's primary route for supporting self-employed workers, has been extended to April. It is expected that this will be extended further, to reflect the gradual relaxation of restrictions on activity until the summer. Important aspects of the scheme's design have been widely criticized, not least the exclusion of a large number of workers. With the crisis fast evolving, there is immense value to producing regular, concise analyses of labour market trends. With this in mind, this policy brief provides an update on the current situation of self-employed workers. From 8-19 February the third wave of the survey of UK self-employment collected new data covering 1,100 workers. The survey covers basic statistics on incomes and hours, interaction with government support and other issues that have become particularly relevant in recent months, such as the impact of having children in the home.

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Purpose: The labor market has witnessed the increase of the new forms of employment relationship (freelancers, contingent workers, and gig workers) due to the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 outbreak, generating new workforce patterns that represent a significant challenge for human resource development (HRD) professionals in organizations. Studies that have addressed these new forms of employment relationship and HRD during this pandemic are sparse. This paper aims to broaden the scope of HRD research by exploring the implications of these new forms of employment relationship for HRD in the time of COVID-19. It also provides insights for HRD professionals as well as governments into how to address this challenge. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a viewpoint that addresses the new workforce patterns generated by the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for HRD at the organizational, individual and national levels. Findings: COVID-19 sheds light on the importance of atypical workers who can create a competitive advantage for organizations, ensure their continuity and significantly benefit national and societal well-being in times of health crisis. However, these atypical workers are often overlooked when it comes to training and development. Whence the importance, for HRD professionals and governments, to address their situation and to integrate them into organizational and national HRD plans and programs, by going beyond traditional models of HRD which focus mainly on standard employees. Originality/value: This paper examines a relatively unexplored topic. Besides examining the implications of the new forms of employment relationship, for HRD, it provides insights for HRD professionals and governments into how to address the challenges related to these new forms of employment relationship.

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This report explores 8 megatrends and 34 related meso trends with the potential to impact Canada's labour market over the coming decade - many of which have been accelerated, disrupted, or created by [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19. The intent of this research is to inform the design of future-oriented skill demand programs and future-focused policy responses. It is not meant to be a comprehensive study of any one trend or a prediction of what the future holds. Rather, it seeks to spark exploratory thinking about what might lie ahead with the goal of preparing leaders for the uncertain future of Canada's economy. These trends range in maturity, and while some may seem temporary, or relatively weak signals, it is important to consider how these changes may impact the future of Canada's labour market. It is also important to keep in mind how these trends may affect population and demographic groups differently, as the impact may not be equal.

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Advances in big data, algorithms and cloud computing over the past decade have contributed to the emergence and widespread use of digital platforms in Canada. Whether it be through Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, Etsy or Shopify, a growing number of Canadian workers and businesses are interacting in these platform-based and controlled markets. This phenomenon, known as the emergence of the platform economy, has significant implications for the future of work in Canada. Meanwhile, the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend as more Canadians than ever before turn towards digital platforms to support their livelihoods.

Given this new reality, we believe there are three imperatives to why the federal government should adopt a Platform Economy Strategy for Canada. First: the platform economy in Canada is growing and has significantly accelerated with COVID-19. Second: digital platforms have disrupted Canadian workers and businesses, most notably in urban centres, but there are signs that rural regions and smaller municipalities, ill-prepared to address the platform economy's complexities, are next. Third: federal, provincial and municipal actions to date on the platform economy have been piecemeal, with no co-ordinated or coherent efforts to effectively address the unique challenges and opportunities of digital platforms' use by Canadian workers and businesses.

We identified three major gaps in Canada's governance regarding digital platforms that must be addressed: it is reactive, it is becoming privatized, and it is resulting in asymmetry of power that favour platforms rather than Canadian businesses and workers. Thus, our proposal for a more coherent and co-ordinated Platform Economy Strategy in Canada consists of three recommendations: Recommendation 1: Establish a National Centre for the Platform Economy. Recommendation 2: Enhance the Competition Bureau's oversight of the Platform Economy. Recommendation 3: Initiate federally led regional assessments of digital platform activities.

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A year and a half into the [Coronavirus Disease 2019] COVID-19 pandemic, growth and economic recovery are the latest watchwords amongst labour market commentators in the UK. The efforts of the government to bring the country back to normality, through the easing of restrictions and the withdrawal of income support schemes, are having a range of effects. Following previous work from the Centre of Economic Performance (CEP) on the relationship between self-employment and the crisis induced by the pandemic, this report continues to monitor the situation of the self-employed in this new economic phase. As earlier evidence has shown, this group has been hit particularly hard by the crisis and activity remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels, and thus deserves that particular attention be devoted to monitoring its recovery process. In this fourth policy brief, we provide an update on the situation of the self-employed workers amid policy attempts at economic recovery. In the last six months, the government has confirmed its support towards the self-employed and met its commitment to make available two additional grants through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). Even so, the analysis in this report shows that widespread uncertainty about eligibility for support amongst the self-employed, deriving from changes in eligibility conditions and reduced press coverage, has caused a significant drop in the number of the scheme's beneficiaries.

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