The platformisation of work in Europe: results from research in 13 European countries
Huws, Ursula ; Spencer, Neil ; Coates, Matthew ; Holts, Kaire
Foundation for European Progressive Studies, Brussels ; UNI Europa, Brussels ; University of Hertfordshire
FEPS - Brussels
2019
55 p.
digital economy ; crowd work ; work organization ; survey
Economics
English
Statistics
"After 3 years of surveys carried in 13 European countries, it is clear that platform work is here to stay, and even growing at a rapid pace. It has become a way to gain additional income for many people across Europe, with particularly high levels in European countries where salaries are low.
At the same time, we see digital management practices we often associate with platform work, such as rating systems and the online logging of work hours, spreading to conventional forms of employment.
Hence, the ‘platform dynamic' that involves precarious work, reduced worker autonomy, and flexibility for the employer, not the worker, is gaining prominence in European labour markets. In other words, we see the 'platformisation of work'. Luckily, this is not an inevitable feature of platform technology. At the end, the authors stimulate thinking about platform applications that do not exploit workers and support public policy goals."
Digital
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