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What type of labor lies behind the on-demand economy? New research based on workers’ data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 August 2018

Santiago Melián-González Open the ORCID record for Santiago Melián-González [Opens in a new window]  and
Jacques Bulchand-Gidumal
Santiago Melián-González*
Affiliation:
TIDES Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Development, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Facultad de Economía, Empresa y Turismo, Campus Universitario de Tafira, Las Palmas, Spain
Jacques Bulchand-Gidumal
Affiliation:
TIDES Institute of Tourism and Sustainable Development, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Facultad de Economía, Empresa y Turismo, Campus Universitario de Tafira, Las Palmas, Spain
*
*Corresponding author. Email: santiago.melian@ulpgc.es
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Abstract

On-demand and gig economy are names commonly used when discussing issues related to labor in the collaborative economy. Some of the specific digital platforms in this economy, including Uber and TaskRabbit, and Upwork are quite popular. The term digital labor market has been suggested to distinguish the work mediated by these platforms from that of the traditional labor market. The theoretical work conditions and characteristics of this digital labor market are similar to those of negative nonstandard work arrangements. However, more empirical evidence is required because most of the findings about work conditions are based on anecdotal evidence and the analysis of the platforms’ rules. This study collects the characteristics commonly attributed to the digital labor market and analyzes them based on data about 465 workers extracted from two important digital labor platforms. Our results confirm and refine some of the beliefs found in the literature.

Keywords

on-demand economygig economysharing economycollaborative economynonstandard employment
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 27 , Issue 5 , September 2021 , pp. 850 - 866
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2018

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