Does gig work benefit vulnerable groups in the labour market?

Mojca Svetek  |  12 June 2024

The past two decades have seen a notable rise in gig work platforms. Currently, gig work accounts for 12% of the global workforce and is expanding rapidly.

European politicians, policymakers, and citizens worry that platforms and their users are profiting from the most vulnerable workers in the job market. This situation is seen as hastening the decline of secure jobs and social systems.

In this episode (borrowed from the Labour Market podcast) we examine whether gig work benefits or harms vulnerable groups in the labour market.

The full transcript can be found here.

Other episodes from the Labour Market can be found on Spotify, Castbox, and Apple Podcasts.

Research articles:

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  • Cardo, L. P., O’Higgins, N. & Berg, J. (2021). Young people and the gig economy. In: J. Chacaltana & S. Dasgupta (Eds.), Is the future ready for youth? International Labour Organization.
  • Millar, K. M. (2017). Toward a critical politics of precarity. Sociology Compass, 11(6), e12483.
  • Prosser, T. (2016). Dualization or liberalization? Investigating precarious work in eight European countries. Work, Employment and Society, 30(6), 949-965.
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  • Rueda, D. (2015). The state of the welfare state: Unemployment, labor market policy, and inequality in the age of workfare. Comparative Politics, 47(3), 296-314.
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  • Veen, A., Barratt, T., Goods, C., & Baird, M. (in press). Accidental flexicurity or workfare? Navigating ride-share work and Australia’s welfare system. Economic and Industrial Democracy.
  • Wang, S., Li, L. Z., & Coutts, A. (2022). National survey of mental health and life satisfaction of gig workers: the role of loneliness and financial precarity. BMJ open, 12(12), e066389.