Who wins in a gig economy

Like many here I spent nearly 25 years working as a freelance and at the time saw nothing wrong with it. I was able to earn a reasonable living as a photojournalist. But now, as the gig economy has 'developed' it seems crazy that many people here in the USA work 2 or 3 jobs and still can't afford anything like a reasonable standard of living. I know of people, chefs, fitness coaches, event staff that have to work all hours... The only real beneficiaries are the employers. Sadly keeping people in poverty ensures there will be a constant supply of 'willing' workers