***Read the following passage about the urban employment and the Gig Economy and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the best answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 40.* **
URBAN EMPLOYMENT AND THE RISE OF THE GIG ECONOMY
In many major cities, the labour market has undergone a marked shift as traditional full-time jobs give way to short-term, task-based work. This transformation is largely driven by digital platforms that match service providers with customers in real time. [I]. As urban populations continue to swell, the number of people turning to gig work - whether as their primary occupation or as a supplementary source of income - has grown significantly.
For many urban residents, gig work represents an attractive alternative to conventional employment. It allows individuals to organise their time freely, avoid long commutes, and pursue multiple income streams. [II]. Students, carers, and migrants in particular are drawn to the autonomy that platform-based work promises. Yet this sense of freedom can be misleading. Workers remain subject to platform algorithms that determine visibility, pay rates, and customer access, often without transparency or recourse. [III]. As a result, gig workers may find themselves competing intensely for tasks, accepting lower fees, or working unsociable hours to maintain financial stability.
The implications of this trend extend beyond individual livelihoods. As gig work expands, concerns over employment rights, social protection, and the long-term health of urban labour markets have intensified. Many gig workers lack access to essential benefits such as sick pay, holiday leave, or pension contributions - protections that are commonly associated with traditional employment contracts. Without these safeguards, they are more vulnerable to economic shocks, illness, or unexpected expenses. Policymakers and labour advocates argue that cities relying heavily on gig labour risk deepening inequalities unless regulatory frameworks catch up with technological change.
[IV]. Despite these challenges, the gig economy continues to embed itself in the fabric of urban life. Demand for services such as food delivery, ride-hailing, and freelance digital work shows little sign of slowing. Some cities have begun experimenting with reforms, including minimum pay standards and portable benefit schemes, in an attempt to balance innovation with worker welfare. Whether these measures will be sufficient remains uncertain, but it is clear that the future of urban employment will be shaped, in no small part, by how societies choose to manage and support the growing gig workforce.
(Adapted from World Bank 2023; ILO 2021; OECD 2019)