New app leverages the gig economy for UK workers and employers alike

Pharmaceutical tech Pat Sampson remembers turning 65, and shortly thereafter being forced to retire - even though she wasn't ready to exit the workforce. Unsurprisingly, she was concerned that she'd be unable to find employment that would supplement her pension.

But since April last year, the 74-year-old has found temporary jobs at four different cafés in her hometown of Southend-on-Sea. Each has paid about £10 an hour — “not bad for café work”, she said — and she has been able to work around commitments to a charity she founded.

She found the jobs through Labour Xchange, an app supported by Community, a trade union, which seeks to link people with employers who need temporary workers. It is part of a drive to improve the rights of flexible workers and avoid the unfair exploitation associated with “gig economy” platforms.

Workers signing up to the app indicate their skills and when they are available, then wait for employers to contact them. They are guaranteed to be paid at least the living wage — £10.55 an hour in London and £9 an hour elsewhere in the UK.

Jonathan Key, co-founder of the new service, said he set it up to help retired people like Pat, as well as workers who may be struggling for sufficient hours from their employers or those with caring responsibilities.

“These are people who are desperate for work because they’re the ones where £20 extra a week is the difference between them eating and not eating,” Mr Key said.

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