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.”