Immigrant Workers Plan Career Advancement through Gig Jobs
By Ryan Hess
Excerpt:
The Center for Law and Social Policy, an organization that advocates for low-income workers, recently published the report From Access to Mobility:Immigrant Workers in the App-Based Gig Economy.
Lorena Roque, the associate director for labor policy at CLASP, authored the report. The International Rescue Committee, a national organization that provides immigrant integration services, including employment services, provided support for this research.
The report is based on administrative data from the IRC’s programs, as well as survey data and findings from qualitative interviews with immigrant gig workers. About two-thirds of the workers surveyed for the report are Afghans, a population that is often served by refugee programs. The surveying and interviews took place inlate-2024 and early-2025, prior to the Trump Administration’s expanded immigration enforcement efforts.
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This research found that these workers were primarily drawn to app-based gig employment for flexibility, immediate earning potential, the ability to overcome language limitations, and the barrier of having foreign occupational credentials that go without recognition in the United States. Some people valued the autonomy and self-scheduling of gig work. Several interview participants talked about being able to make time available for family needs.
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The report includes recommendations for practice for organizations that serve immigrant workers. One idea is for outreach and engagement to offer services to the gig worker population. Organizations can offer workshops on topics such as worker rights,safety strategies and gig platform navigation.
Career coaching and small business technical assistance could be next-level strategies for serving these workers, the report recommends. Further on, strategies could include support for occupational training, or assistance in accessing small business capital.
At all stages, gig workers could benefit from tax education and assistance, connections to affordable financial services such as the offerings of credit unions, and financial planning.
“As immigrants continue to turn to gig work as a primary or supplementary source of income, service providers must adapt their strategies to better meet the needs of this growing labor force,” the report says.
