March 27, 2026 11:00AM # Per-Task Minimum Pay for Gig Workers? By [Jeffrey Miron](https://www.cato.org/people/jeffrey-miron) --- SHARE Listen to this article Generated with [ ElevenLabs](https://elevenlabs.io/) AI technology. Loading the [Elevenlabs Text to Speech](https://elevenlabs.io/text-to-speech) AudioNative Player... In 2024, Seattle tried to raise wages for app-based workers by [requiring that](https://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/app-based-worker-ordinances/app-based-worker-minimum-payment-ordinance) they receive a per-task minimum pay. By comparing earnings for Seattle workers before and after the law went into effect, a recent [study](https://www.nber.org/papers/w34545) finds that while the policy raised per-task wages, > the increases in base pay per task were partially offset by a substantial reduction in average tips, a major component of delivery pay. Moreover, > drivers experienced more unpaid idle time and longer distances driven between tasks … \[And,\] the policy led to a reduction in the number of tasks completed by highly attached incumbent drivers, … completely offsetting increased pay per task and leading to zero effect on monthly earnings. Yet again, over-zealous intervention backfires. *Cross-posted from* [*Substack*](https://jeffreymiron.substack.com/p/immigration-restrictions-cause-enforcement)*.* ##### Related Tags [Economics](https://www.cato.org/economics), [Libertarianism](https://www.cato.org/libertarianism) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).