An Uber driver in the US, a food delivery bike rider in China, an audio transcriber in Nigeria and a handyman in the UK – despite their differences they have one thing in common: their work life is ruled by mobile apps.

The expansion of the internet at the start of the millennium gave rise to a “gig economy”. Its global value today is about USD 5 trillion and it is estimated that more than 500 million people will be participating in it by 2025. While platforms such as Uber, Amazon and Deliveroo are getting richer, their workers often just scrape by. There are no laws protecting them as in the case of standard employees, and so they live in permanent uncertainty, exposed to the whims of customers, under the constant supervision of apps, and invisible to most people. Canadian director Shannon Walsh has given them a voice in her documentary, using their stories to reveal the real cost of gig-based work.