In China, we call "gig workers" "flexable workers" (灵活就业), which are very similar to the unemployed. The reason is that the low, zero, or even negative walfare imposed by the Chinese goverment on all tax payers makes neither of them a viable option for a living.
Want some evidence? "Marriage market" (婚恋市场) in China is a gruesme battlefield for at least 20 years. Chinese people can fake their political stance, financial stance, or even marriage status. However, when it comes to the standard of choosing partners for life, they cannot fake it because it means so much to them. Ask them what they think about both "gig workers" and "the umeployed", and try to find any difference, if any. The "chain of contempt" (歧视链) in the "Marriage market" is a relatively good measure of what people really think in China.
Want some evidence? "Marriage market" (婚恋市场) in China is a gruesme battlefield for at least 20 years. Chinese people can fake their political stance, financial stance, or even marriage status. However, when it comes to the standard of choosing partners for life, they cannot fake it because it means so much to them. Ask them what they think about both "gig workers" and "the umeployed", and try to find any difference, if any. The "chain of contempt" (歧视链) in the "Marriage market" is a relatively good measure of what people really think in China.