VOA慢速英语--在新冠疫情期间，临时工作应用程序越来越受欢迎

Temporary Work Apps Gain Popularity During the Pandemic

Computer apps that permit people to work for short periods at jobs that require little or no training are becoming popular. As industries deal with worker shortages, these apps are helping¹ people get paying jobs they would not normally be able to find.

Stint² is an app that is popular in Britain. It is aimed at workers seeking jobs that require few skills.

Similar apps in the United States are Instaworks and Gigpro. Instaworks and Gigpro however are different from Stint in that they are better for more experienced workers. With economic recovery unclear, flexibility³ is important for both workers and employers.

Gabrielle Walker is a 19-year-old student at University College London. She got the Stint app, received 15 minutes of training and got a job at a restaurant for one day.

She noted⁴ that even students with little experience could sign up with similar apps and find paid work. That work could even be for a few hours so it could fit into their schedule from week to week.

Sol Schlagman started Stint with his brother. He remembered his own experience as a college student.

He said the app is for the student who needs money to pay for housing. But he added that it can also help "the student that wants to buy a pair of shoes they wouldn't necessarily buy otherwise."

The apps are similar to the many short-term work apps that have appeared in recent years. They include Uber, DoorDash and TaskRabbit. But the latest ones are different. They link workers with employers that have a continuous need for labor⁵ but they do not want permanent employees.

Fiona Greig is the co-president of the JPMorgan Chase Institute, a financial research group. She said, "It's no surprise that during COVID, when everything became virtual that these...marketplaces might have exploded."

The newer temporary work apps could help ease the labor shortage in Britain that is partly caused by the pandemic. Recently, the National Health Service released a system that tells users if they have been near someone who has the coronavirus. Many workers had to isolate⁶ themselves. Some stores had to temporarily close because workers could not go to their jobs.

Jacob Sumner is the director of European operations at the restaurant group Chipotle. He said Chipotle uses Stint to get help during busy times. Chilango, another group of restaurants, said it also uses Stint.

The use of apps to connect businesses and workers for short-term work is growing in the United States too.

Sumir Meghani helped start and is chief of Instaworks. He said the rise and fall of coronavirus cases caused employment problems for businesses. They sometimes must increase or decrease operations at any moment.

Ben Ellsworth started Gigpro. He created the app to help the employment shortages caused by the pandemic. He also saw greater flexibility in the job market during the pandemic.

Ellsworth spent years in the restaurant industry. He said restaurant workers have been paid very little, have little reason to work, have been offered little flexibility or have a low quality of life.

Ellsworth suggested that after losing work, many turned to other industries or found temporary work to meet their own needs. This happened at a time when businesses needed temporary, hourly workers as restrictions⁷ eased.

The short-term employment apps serve a current need for flexibility. However, critics predict a threat to workers over a long period of time. They say if temporary workers replace permanent workers, it could reduce job security, sick pay and similar benefits.

Greig said, however, that these apps can lower barriers to work for many people who need money quickly. This includes many young workers with limited job experience.

Student Gabrielle Walker likes the apps, saying, "Everyone could do it."

Words in This Story

app – n. a computer program that performs a special function

flexible – adj. easily changed

schedule – n. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

pair – n. two things that are the same and are meant to be used together

otherwise – adv. if something did not happen, was not true,

virtual – adj. existing or occurring on computers or on the Internet

isolate – v. to put or keep (someone or something) in a place or situation that is separate from others

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 stint   

v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事

参考例句：

• He lavished money on his children without stint.他在孩子们身上花钱毫不吝惜。
• We hope that you will not stint your criticism.我们希望您不吝指教。

3 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 isolate   

vt.使孤立，隔离

参考例句：

• Do not isolate yourself from others.不要把自己孤立起来。
• We should never isolate ourselves from the masses.我们永远不能脱离群众。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制