The Supreme Court handed states broad authority Thursday to require online retailers to collect sales taxes, overturning a pre-Internet court precedent that had effectively exempted many merchants from collection duties. The ruling likely will spell the end of an era in which large online retailers enjoyed a substantial tax advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

While breaking into the U.S. economy as a foreigner can be difficult, the gig economy offers quick, accessible work that allows for flexible schedules and generally pays well above the minimum wage. The work is explicitly advertised as temporary, but, for many workers, it has a way of becoming more long-term than initially planned, with limited opportunities for advancement.