The Convenience of Short-term Jobs in the Smartphone Era
The practice of working for just one day, known traditionally as "day labor," is now often referred to as "gap work." Thanks to the widespread use of smartphones, day labor has become very convenient.
First, finding a job is very easy. By installing an app on your smartphone, you can search for jobs effortlessly and receive notifications for positions that match your criteria. The app may also recommend jobs based on your previous work experience.
Once you find a suitable job, you can apply for it via your smartphone. Perhaps due to the current labor shortage, I have never been rejected after applying. Without making phone calls or attending interviews, you can secure a job just by using the app, saving both time and effort.
Recently, I worked a one-day job near JR Kobe Station, and my pay was deposited the next day. Historically, day labor jobs allowed you to receive cash payments on the same day, known as "daily pay," but now payments are typically made the following day via bank transfer.
When you receive payments from various sources, it becomes necessary to file a tax return. It's natural to wonder where to get the withholding tax certificate. If you receive your pay from the company that operates the app, you need to contact that company. If the app's operating company only introduced the job, you need to contact the company where you actually worked. Reading the app's help section, I found that the withholding tax certificate could be downloaded. In fact, the certificate was issued and available for download the next day.
Thanks to the widespread adoption of smartphones, everything has become very convenient. By the way, gap work doesn't always mean low wages. There are quite a few jobs with reasonably high hourly rates, and wages are likely increasing overall.