but what exactly are they talking about?

但確切的談論內容又是什麼？

Is it big or small?

是規模的大小？

Exciting or terrifying?

是令人興奮的或是令人害怕的？

Good for your health or bad for it?

是對健康有益或有害？

The first thing to know about the gig economy

要暸解零工經濟，首先要知道的事情是

is that not everyone actually agrees on what it means.

並不是每個人都認同它所代表的意義

As the name suggests, it is about people who earn money from doing a series of gigs or tasks.

如名所述，零工經濟是指透過一連串的工作和任務賺錢的人們

Some people used that term to apply to everyone who works independently,

有些人將這個名詞套用在獨立工作的人身上

including lawyers and plumbers,

包含律師和水電工

but of course the notion of working for yourself is nothing new.

但自我雇用已經不是什麼新概念了

What is new is the invention of digital platforms

數位平台的發明才是新的概念

that connect customers with workers to perform tasks on demand.

它連結顧客和受雇者，讓受雇者依照請求完成任務

That task could be to do someone's ironing, translate a document from Arabic to English,

這個任務可能是幫某人燙衣服、將文件從阿拉伯文翻譯成英文

deliver a pizza, or drive someone home from a nightclub.

送披薩或從夜店載某人回家

There are a host of gig economy platforms,

現在有許多零工經濟平台

from Upwork or HourlyNerd, for tasks that are done online,

從 Upwork 或 HourlyNerd 這類在網上完成任務的平台

to Uber and Deliveroo, for tasks that are done in person.

到 Uber 和 Deliveroo 這類實體任務履行的平台都有

The uniting feature is that they match workers to customers,

將消費者和受雇者配對是它們統一的特色

and they use their technology to facilitate the payment while taking a cut for themselves.

並且他們在分一杯羹的同時，利用自身的技術使付款流程變得容易

They said they are intermediaries not employers.

它們說它們是中介，而不是雇主

Others disagree.

其他人不同意這個說法

That's a question being thrashed out in courts in the US, the UK, and elsewhere.

這是一個在美國、英國和其他各國法院皆被討論磋商的問題

If you live in a city teeming with Ubers, you might think the gig economy is huge already,

如果你住在一個充滿 Uber 的城市，你可能會認為零工經濟已經很龐大

but, actually, the number working in it is still pretty small,

但事實上，其中的工作人數仍然很少

but it is significant.

但是卻很重要

In the UK, one think tank says about 3 and 1/2% of the workforce are in the gig economy.

在英國，智庫顯示零工經濟佔約百分之 3.5 的勞動力人口

That's about the same number as work for the National Health Service,

這個數據與國民保健署的勞動力數據相同

the UK'S largest employer.

國民保健署是英國最大的雇主

This is a growing army of workers without work places, colleagues, or bosses.

這個成長中的勞動團體沒有工作區、同事或老闆

What does that mean for their health and safety?

這對他們的健康和安全意味著什麼？

In some ways, it could be positive.

就某些方面來看，它可能是正面的影響

The gig economy is based on the idea of working whenever you want.

零工經濟根基於「你想工作時才工作」的工作概念

Having a job where you can easily nip out to deal with something personal,

擁有一份可讓你暫時離開去處理私人事情的工作

studies shows that's one of the best indicators for high well-being.

研究顯示這是好福利的最棒指標

But some health experts are worried.

但有些健康專家表示擔憂

Flexibility might be good for your health,

彈性也許對你的健康有益

but loneliness and isolation are bad for it.

但孤獨感和隔絕則對健康有害

Gig workers don't have line managers to keep an eye out for them.

零工經濟工作者沒有直屬主管注意他們的狀況

Instead, their regular contact is with an algorithm that doesn't know how they're feeling today,

取而代之的是他們與演算法的經常性接觸，演算法無法知道他們今天的感受如何

or what personal problems might have cropped up.

也無法知道他們可能突然遭遇到什麼樣的個人問題

The algorithm just sends them tasks and monitors their performance.

演算法只會指派任務給他們和監督他們的表現

Some algorithms also deactivate workers from their platforms, if there are performance issues.

如果工作者的表現出現問題，某些演算法也會將他們從平台移除

That can create pressure.

這可能會造成工作者的壓力

And when the platform sets the fee per task,

同時，當平台設定好每個任務的費用

some workers feel they can only increase their earnings by working ever longer hours.

某些工作者認為只有延長工作時間，才可以增加他們的收入

Driving or cycling and traffic can be dangerous at the best of times,

在最好的情況下，開車和騎車都可能有危險發生

let alone when you're tired and stressed.

更不用說當你感到疲累和壓力大時

For health experts, one thing is clear,

對健康專家來說，有一件事是肯定的

there's an urgent need to investigate the benefits and the risks of this new world of work.

那就是我們迫切需要研究並探討關於這個新工作型態的好處與風險