The pandemic has drastically accelerated the shift to ‚’online‚’ forms of business. This has presented huge difficulties for those trading physical goods and, in particular, for small businesses, who, unlike larger competitors, had very little of the necessary infrastructure in place at the start of the pandemic. This shift has also resulted in an increasing reliance on gig economy workers ‚’ to work ad hoc shifts and above all to make deliveries. While significant support packages for business have already been rolled out, it is clear that small businesses require further support. It is also clear that gig economy work can often be unstable, underpaid and risky. The challenge before us is to use government support for small businesses as the catalyst for material improvements to the gig economy.
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