A booming gig economy doesn't necessarily spell windfall for Indonesia's workforce

A booming gig economy doesn't necessarily spell windfall for Indonesia's workforce

A GrabBike motorcycle driver, left, and a Go-Jek motorcycle driver wait for orders in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2017. Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

Heru Sishandito isn’t your typical gig economy millennial. The former construction worker, 58, is a driver for Grab, a popular ride-hailing service, in Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java. He likes the flexibility, but is pulling in 40 percent less in pay. “In the construction company, there was certainty because I could get a fixed salary,” he said. “But as a Grab driver, it depends on me.”

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