A new study by DirectlyApply reveals the best companies and US cities to be a gig worker following a boom in the industry.

The rise of gig work has only increased since the coronavirus pandemic hit, with many choosing to take up independent contracted jobs as a way to generate an income. With the attraction of setting your own hours each week without the worry of having to book time off, it’s clear to see where the desire lies.

Job discovery platform DirectlyApply has revealed the best gig companies to work for, which looks at a breakdown of the best US gig companies, revealing key information gig workers will need to consider such as if you need your own equipment and if you receive company perks.

The study also looks at the top states to work in as a gig worker, taking into consideration nine cost and job opportunity factors including the cost of living, the number of restaurants & attractions, the number of advertised gig roles and more.

You can view the full study here: https://us.directlyapply.com/insights/best-states-and-gig-companies-to-work-for

Amazon Flex ranks as the best gig company to work for!

Rank Company Sick pay Company benefits Transport needed Equipment provided Search volume No. of employees
1 Amazon Flex Yes Yes Yes No 112,000,000 840,000
2 Uber Yes Yes Yes No 1,900,000 22,263
3 Lyft Yes Yes Yes Yes 786,000 4,779
4 Instacart Yes Yes Yes Yes 1,100,000 1,200
5 Wag! Yes Yes No No 5,200 2,851
6 Rover No Yes No Yes 239,000 500
7 Eat Street Yes Yes Yes Yes 56,000 100
8 AirBnb No Yes No No 9,100,000 6,300
9 UberEats No Yed Yes Yes 635,000 10,000
10 Postmates No Yes Yes Yes 1,200,000 5,341

The table above shows the top 10 companies out of the 30 company study.

Whilst being one of the biggest companies in the world, Amazon also ranked 1st as the best gig company to work for. With the added benefit of company perks and sick pay, its popularity in the number of search results mean there is a high number of delivery and warehouse arrangement opportunities available, in turn meaning more work for you to pick up. Again, being able to pick your own hours is what draws many people in to working for a gig company and Amazon is no exception. Cab driver giants Uber and Lyft fall just behind Amazon in second and third spot.

Noticeable companies within the top ten are Wag! And Rover. Way! And Rover are dog walking gig companies which allow individuals to dog sit or dog walk for families who cannot be present themselves. Much different to the usual industries on this list, it’ll certainly appeal to a lot of people. After all, who wouldn’t want to be paid to look after a puppy?

An important part of working on an independent contract is the aspect of transport and admin information. For a lot of gig companies you need your own transport. Whether that’s a car or bike, you need to take this into consideration when choosing which company to apply for.

The below table shows key information that you need to know before applying for jobs at these gig companies.

Company Important information 
Amazon Flex Must pay fuel and mobile data
Uber 20-28% transaction fee (depending on vehicle size)
Lyft 20% transaction fee
Instacart Must be 18 years old, have a licence and vehicle
Wag! 100% of your earnings taken home
Rover 20% transaction fee
Eat Street Must pay fuel and mobile data
AirBnb 3% host fee
UberEats Must be over 18 years old
Postmates 100% of earnings taken home
Udemy 50% transaction fee on organic class bookings, 30% transaction fee with app bookings
DoorDash Must be over 18 years old
Fiver 20% transaction fee
Cabify 20% transaction fee
GoPuff Must be 21 years old, have a licence and vehicle
TaskRabbit 15% transaction fee
Favor Delivery Must be 18 years old, have a licence and vehicle
Etsy 5% transaction fee
Grubhub 100% of earnings taken home
Vrbo 5% commission fee, 3% payment processing fee
Just Eat 100% of earnings taken home
Turo Between 10-30% transaction fee
Caviar Must be 18 years old, have a licence and vehicle, have two years driving experience
Handy Must have experience within your field
Flipkey 8-16% of total rent cost paid in fees
Bite Squad Must be 18 years old, have a licence and vehicle
Shipt Must pay fuel and mobile data
Veyo Must be 21 years old, have a licence and vehicle with four doors
Dolly Must be 21 years old, have a licence, have a truck/van newer than 2000 reg
Delivery Dudes Must be 18 years old, have a licence and vehicle

 

New York ranks as the best state to be a gig worker!

Rank State Cost of lunch Cost of apartment Cost of 1 ltr gas No. of food and drink places No. of shops No. of Attractions No. of Roadside fatalities No. of gig companies No. of advertised gig roles 
1 New York $15 $1,661 $0.71 50,153 2,688 5,950 943 20 11,094
2 Florida $17 $1,757 $0.68 41,366 3,310 6,336 31 14 1,200
3 California $18 $3,351 $1.07 76,201 3,529 11,647 3,563 20 16,808
4 Ohio $13 $913 $0.64 22,547 880 2,459 1,068 16 5,851
5 Illinois $16 $1,609 $0.86 25,488 1,016 2,771 231 20 9,141
6 Texas $15 $1,422 $0.63 48,064 1,872 5,259 3,642 16 4,859
7 Pennsylvania $15 $1,298 $0.74 26,548 1,434 3,317 1,190 14 7,181
8 Massachusetts $14 $2,432 $0.70 15,797 1,182 2,878 360 16 8,660
9 Indiana $11.5 $728,66 $0.62 12,126 576 1,496 858 13 1,891
10 West Virginia $10 $625 $0.64 3,291 266 682 294 13 448

The table above shows the top 10 states out of all 50 states researched in the study.

With a high number of attractions, shops and currently gig jobs available, New York ranks as the best state to become a gig worker. Filled with not only the world famous vibe, the state provides the highest levels of opportunity for gig work. However, to accompany this, the cost of living is high. The cost of an everyday lunch which stands at $15 and litre of gas at $.071 are amongst the highest of the study, giving workers something to think about.

California boasts the highest number of gig work opportunities out of the top 30 states, with more than 16,000 being advertised. This paired with 20 gig companies means there’s a high level of variety for the gig work you could be doing. This could include being a delivery driver, a dog walker or a cab driver!

Experts share their thoughts on the gig economy during COVID-19:

Annabel Kaye, Director of Koffee Klatch – “The Gig economy has been accelerated by Covid. The change that was coming anyway has just got a lot faster as organisations have worked out that many jobs can be done remotely without losing productivity. With that homebased working comes a natural shift towards flexible working for employees. Just like the old school flexi time, as long as core hours and key objectives are covered, there is no need for everyone to work exactly the same hours in the same place.”

Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of Psychreg – “I feel that remote working and flexible working will gain even more traction as a result of the pandemic. It’ll be a future packed with flexibility, choice, and opportunity.”

Spokesperson, Portify – “In the future we expect gig economy workers to play a large role in the recovery from any pandemic-induced economic crash. We expect the gig economy to grow in the future as more people turn to gig work to supplement their income or replace lost income streams.”