Gig workers are endlessly exploited. AI could make more of us share their fate

Nurses, too, are facing increased “gigification”. Over the past few years, some hospital networks have outsourced parts of their core workforces to AI-powered labor platforms like ShiftMed, CareRev and Clipboard Health. These platforms have been described as “Uber for nursing”, with a sales pitch that mirrors the early days of the platform economy: download an app, enjoy flexible hours, bid on open shifts, be your own boss. The reality has proven quite different. Nurses on these platforms report working for lower wages, competing for shifts and having to bring equipment that would normally be paid for by an employer, like stethoscopes and thermometers. Yet one nurse, who was cited in a report about these platforms, described working on them as her best option: “I have no choice.” Like Uber, these platforms have sought exemption from policies that would regulate them in many states, they have been successful. At least 17 states have now introduced legislation to recognize gig nursing platforms as “healthcare worker platforms” rather than staffing agencies, exempting them from many of the regulations that protect workers, and leaving less pay and fewer worker protections. Many of these “Uber for nursing” platforms have reached billion-dollar valuations.

Nurses, too, are facing increased “gigification”. Over the past few years, some hospital networks have outsourced parts of their core workforces to AI-powered labor platforms like ShiftMed, CareRev and Clipboard Health. These platforms have been described as “Uber for nursing”, with a sales pitch that mirrors the early days of the platform economy: download an app, enjoy flexible hours, bid on open shifts, be your own boss. The reality has proven quite different. Nurses on these platforms report working for lower wages, competing for shifts and having to bring equipment that would normally be paid for by an employer, like stethoscopes and thermometers. Yet one nurse, who was cited in a report about these platforms, described working on them as her best option: “I have no choice.”

Like Uber, these platforms have sought exemption from policies that would regulate them in many states, they have been successful. At least 17 states have now introduced legislation to recognize gig nursing platforms as “healthcare worker platforms” rather than staffing agencies, exempting them from many of the regulations that protect workers, and leaving less pay and fewer worker protections. Many of these “Uber for nursing” platforms have reached billion-dollar valuations.