MOVEMENT restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic have curbed Haikal Adnin Mohd Naim’s dreams of becoming a lawyer.

The 25-year-old bachelor of laws (shariah) graduate completed the degree last October and was a legal assistant in a law firm until it downsized and retrenched him.

Haikal then joined the country’s half a million workers in the gig economy, which is growing since the pandemic struck.

He took on jobs in graphic design, producing corporate videos and advertisements, but work was inconsistent and he never knew whether he would have enough money each month.

To help the predicament of many like Haikal, the FixApa platform for gig workers started last April.

“Freelance work is inconsistent so when a friend introduced me to FixApa, I decided I could integrate my creative services with the platform. Their commission fees are among the lowest compared to other platforms,” Haikal told The Malaysian Insight.

FixApa is one of the first online platforms in Malaysia to offer and match gig employee services with the demand for various types of services.

It covers a wide range of services from house cleaning to delivery, car washing and professional services, such as creative industries and financial consultants.

Haikal now earns an almost fixed monthly amount of between RM500 and RM700 a month which is about 50% of his previous income but this excludes projects where he works with a team. Each team member can earn between RM1,000 and RM1,500 per project.

The number of gig workers, or “gigsters” as FixApa calls them, was 559,900 in 2018 and 466,600 in 2019, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.

December’s unemployment figure, after nine months of varying degrees of lockdown because of Covid-19, was 4.8%.

FixApa founder and CEO Ainol Razman said the platform was born during the first movement-control order (MCO) last year.

Ainol said the platform is not only a solution for those who lost their jobs but also to expand the market for skilled independent workers.

FixApa uses a social marketplace model like Grab and Shopee but is focused on services.

“There are many platforms like Grab services but there isn’t really a platform where you can offer your skills.

“In Malaysia, the gig sector has also so far been focused on consumers and what they need and not on workers and what they can offer.”

The FixApa portal, where consumers can select the type of service they need, also allows them to engage with gigsters to negotiate fees and discuss the work scope.

“The system gives the option to the user or company to get services from the gigster without having to bear the burden of fixed costs.”

A gigster sets his price for a service and FixApa collects 8% for each job.

FixApa has the backing of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the government-linked agency tasked with spearheading Malaysia’s digital transformation.

Currently, MDEC is working on helping FixApa gigsters with Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) contributions. Gig economy workers, although large in umber, still mostly lack statutory protections for employees.

The platform currently has 252 gigsters, while another 370 are in the process of joining the platform.

All applicants are interviewed and vetted by FixApa before being registered.

Ainol said this process also helps those who have lost their jobs and are desperate for work but do not know what to do, identify their strengths and the service they can offer.

“Many do not even know what to offer. I once asked an applicant what he was interested in. He said he liked cats.

“So I suggested he start a cat-feeding service for pet owners.

“We also guide gigsters to recognise their abilities and capabilities, and how many jobs they need to take in order to earn an income.” – February 11, 2021.