Hidden Dependence on Migrant Gig Labor

Urban consumer lifestyles (late‑night food, on‑demand services) are enabled by a thin, often migrant workforce paid precarious wages through platform architectures. Public rhetoric that romanticizes 'hustle' or frames migrants as cultural vibrancy can mask the labor‑market mechanics that produce exploitation and local political pressure. — If recognized, this forces policy conversations about minimum standards for gig work, immigration pathways tied to labor protections, and municipal rules for platform accountability rather than treating the phenomenon as mere cultural color.