The Future of Work

In 2016, Karen successfully pitched NPR member station KCRW on a year long investigative journalism project looking at the future of work. The project ranged in topics and included a look at a two billion dollar industries through the lens of the low level workers who help generate those profits. Other stories included on the rise of independent contractors, holes in the workers compensation system and the hallowing out of vital labor protections.

In this series, Karen looks at the shift to freelance, temp and independent contractors. Older workers are most likely to have those kinds of jobs, with 23.9 percent of older workers finding themselves in the gig economy. In an abandoned neighborhood near LAX, dozens of middle-aged Uber and Lyft drivers hang out here, waiting for a call. Meet the drivers and listen to their stories here.