Utopia or Dystopia? Measuring the Effects of Platform Labour on Workers: A Literature Overview

This study provides a structured and differentiated review of the literature on platform labour from the workers’ perspective, examining how platform-mediated work affects multiple dimensions of workers’ employment conditions and well-being as well as their subjective experiences. Platform labour is a new form of work where companies create online platforms which match consumers with service providers, thereby providing workers with a new type of employment opportunity, casually referred to as “being your own boss”, accompanied by a certain degree of flexibility and autonomy. However, it is important to note that this flexibility and autonomy is limited by factors such as algorithmic management, and it has also led to the spread of increased precarity and social inequality. Existing studies highlight that these effects vary substantially across types of platforms, worker groups and socio-institutional contexts. The subjective experience of platform workers is neither an absolute “good” nor “bad” experience, but is a function of their own unique work and life experiences and personal needs. Based on these themes, we suggest that attention to the needs of different groups of platform workers, their diverse identities and interests, and to labour equity and social protection is key to the sustainable development of the platform economy. Future research could further prioritise cross-regional differences, algorithmic governance (including emerging technologies), the effectiveness of regulatory and organisational innovations in advancing labour equity and social protection, and the long-term, intersectional effects of platform labour, with a view to promoting a more inclusive and sustainable platform ecosystem.