Press Release: New CSS Report Finds That “Control” Instead of “Flexibility” Defines Today’s Gig Work

Press Release

New CSS Report Finds That "Control" Instead of "Flexibility" Defines Today's Gig Work

Cites need for government regulation/transparency around pay, discipline, access to work

A new Community Service Society of New York (CSS) report examining gig work across the state found that while it has become a core part of how many New Yorkers generate income because of its promise of flexibility, workers of color are experiencing many of the same patterns seen across the broader labor market: higher unemployment, fewer stable job opportunities, and reliance on low-security work to make ends meet.

Further compounding the situation is that many gig workers are experiencing high levels of financial insecurity compared to other workers and are more likely to be in debt.

The report, "Surveilled and Directed: Algorithmic Management and Control in New York's Gig Economy," is based on findings from CSS's 2025 Annual Survey of Housing and Economic Security, which surveyed 4,000 adults statewide between September 9 and October 2, 2025. Twenty percent of respondents reported earning money in the past year through gig platforms.

Drawing from the survey findings, the report found that gig work today is defined less by flexibility and more by control - exercised not by a human supervisor, but by the app that assigns jobs, sets pay, and tracks workers' performance. Workers who depend on these platforms reported high levels of algorithmic management and control. For example:

• Nearly four in five gig workers say apps push them to work longer or at specific times, and 70 percent say the app controls when, where, and how much they work.
• Two-thirds say customer ratings may reflect bias based on race, gender, or language-concerns that are particularly pronounced among workers who depend on platforms for their main income.
• More than three-quarters say they would feel more secure if the government set rules governing how platforms treat workers

New York City has taken important steps to regulate app-based delivery work, including minimum pay standards and procedural protections when workers are removed from the app. However, no statewide framework exists to address algorithmic management. The report urges state policymakers to address this through targeted regulation and oversight in the areas of wage-setting and pay transparency, surveillance and data use, rating systems, due process in deactivation and adverse decisions, and worker representation.

"The number of New Yorkers who make ends meet through gig work continues to grow. These workers are not immune to the economic headwinds facing the broader labor market right now, and they largely face them without the safety net of benefits, job security, or many of the same legal protections that traditional employees have," said New York City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu. "We must continue to expand those crucial protections, along with more transparency and standards. I support the report's findings that a statewide framework is needed to strengthen the fairness and rights of the workers that make up 20% of New York's workforce."

"App-based delivery workers deserve fairness and security on the job, period. DCWP is committed to enforcing NYC's Delivery Worker Laws - among the strongest protections in the country - without fear or favor," said NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine. "We applaud CSS for shedding light on these important issues and the barriers hardworking deliveristas face. The platforms profiting from New York labor must provide workers with dignity and pay they deserve."

"As gig work grows and becomes a major feature of New York's economy, protections meant to govern it are not keeping pace. And that gap is not race-neutral," said David R. Jones, President and CEO of CSS. "Black and Latino New Yorkers are significantly more likely than white workers to rely on gig work-mirroring broader labor market inequities like higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. Our state policymakers must strengthen oversight to ensure this rapidly expanding sector does not continue to replicate and deepen longstanding economic disparities."

"Gig work is sold as flexible, but in reality the app is the boss-setting pay, assigning work, and monitoring workers in ways that limit real choice," said Rachel Swaner, CSS Vice President for Policy, Research, and Advocacy and author of the report. "The issue is this kind of app-based control itself. It's designed to extract more work from people when they're already under financial pressure, and we're starting to see it in more jobs. That makes it all the more important to set clear rules so these systems are fair, transparent, and accountable."

The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) has worked with and for New Yorkers since 1843 to promote economic opportunity and champion an equitable city and state. We power change through a strategic combination of research, services, and advocacy to make New York more livable for people facing economic insecurity. By expanding access to health care, affordable housing, employment opportunities, debt assistance, and more, we make a tangible difference in the lives of millions. Join us at www.cssny.org.

###

Issues Covered

Latest News

New CSS Report Finds That "Control" Instead of "Flexibility" Defines Today's Gig Work

Mayor's Agenda May Drive Property Tax Reform

Make the NYPD Gang Database a Tool for Safety, Not Harm

More News