Technological advancements, in particular the widespread use of sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft, have prompted the rise of the gig economy, which is a labor market characterized by short-term (flexible) employment for people who are unemployed or need more than one occupation. This paper explores how the rise of the gig economy affects workers' livelihoods and the evolvement of the U.S. labor market. As the profession has not reached a consensus on the exact classification of gig workers, this paper seeks to provide an in-depth analysis of the two growing segments of freelancers and shared economy workers that saw a significant increase during the COVID19 pandemic. After combining company-specific data from Statista with country-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our results show that the growth rate of gig workers has been significantly higher than the growth rate of the overall U.S. employment. It is noteworthy that while the size of the U.S. labor force was shrinking, the number of freelancers and sharing economy workers saw an increase during the COVID-19 period. To further discuss the development of the gig economy in the U.S., this paper also presents income and demographic aspects of gig workers. We conclude that the gig economy has become an increasingly important part of the U.S. labor market; especially for those who have been struggling during economic downtowns. Lastly, our findings provide clues on the potential direction of the U.S. labor market in the short and long term.

The spread of COVID-19 created enduring problems and consequences for the global economy. The pandemic impacted every nation’s economic growth, evident in the preliminary data recorded by researchers. Although this phenomenon has affected nearly every economy, one thing that differs between nation’s is their response to the pandemic. Each nation implemented different containment strategies and non-price interventions in an attempt to reduce the ramifications of COVID-19. This paper conducts a statistical analysis to investigate how different government COVID-19 responses impact gross domestic product per capita as well as determine the overall effect of specific policies on economic growth. This research aims to find out which non-price interventions have the smallest effect on a country’s economy and also provide recommendations to policymakers on what type of response should be adopted in the instances of potential future health crises.

While there has been plenty of attention given to conspicuous consumption, there has not been much research done from a different perspective beyond the materialistic status symbols that come along with conspicuous consumption, in this case, the COVID-19 vaccine. This research looks at the relationship between conspicuous consumption, education attainment and early access to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the online survey conducted, consumers who scored above average in conspicuous consumption and higher than average in education attainment pursued earlier access to the vaccine. However, it is noteworthy to consider that there is an interaction effect between conspicuous consumption and educational attainment. In this instance, it is possible that healthcare access--in particular the COVID-19 vaccine--can be used as a status symbol for those who are highly educated. This research has implications for a further understanding of conspicuous consumption beyond the traditional sense.