Smart scheduling. Work shift-management systems are increasingly being used by businesses such as retail stores and restaurants to schedule work periods, allowing corporations to replace a full-time workforce with a “just in time” army of temps whose schedules are irregular and unpredictable. The benefit for the corporations is that they can increase profits by avoiding overstaffing and full-time contracts. As with the gig economy, the benefits to employees are much less clear. As of 2017, only 17 percent of US retail employees had a set or constant work schedule.

Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias, The Costs of Connection, loc. 230