More than half of gig economy workers in the UK are earning less than the minimum wage, with a quarter reporting that the nature of their work put their safety at risk, reports The Guardian, citing a study led by the University of Bristol. In the study, gig economy workers whose jobs included food delivery, private hire driving and data entry were asked to report their earnings and working conditions. It found that 52% of respondents reported earning less than the minimum wage, with the median respondent earning £8.97 an hour, 53p less than the minimum wage, which was £9.50 at the time of the research. Of the 510 people questioned, more than 75% also reported experiencing work-related insecurity and anxiety.

When asked what would improve their situation, respondents most wanted minimum wage rates, holiday and sick pay, as well as protection against unfair dismissal. Alex Wood, lead author of the study, said, “The self-employed who are dependent on platforms to make a living are urgently in need of labour protections to shield them against the huge power asymmetries that exist in the sector. This clearly warrants the expansion of the current ‘worker’ status to protect them.”