Human Rights and Equal Relief for Gig Economy Workers

Attempts to expand U.S. unemployment benefits in the wake of COVID-19 show the pitfalls of a narrow definition of employment. International human rights treaties, in contrast, provide a more expansive approach, one that could provide assistance to a population of workers that has experienced increased difficulty obtaining relief for lost work.   The pandemic has caused unemployment on a massive scale. Workers who live paycheck to paycheck are especially…