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The platform effect: How Amazon changed work in logistics in Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom

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  • Anke Hassel
  • Felix Sieker

Abstract

While the effects of the platform economy on work are mainly studied through the lens of gig or cloud workers, many more employees are likely to be affected in non-platform firms or sectors. We discuss the mechanisms of platform economy’s impact on the employment relationships and indirect effect on employment trends. Platform firms enter the service economy with business models that put existing service providers under pressure and advance a platform model of employment relationship. However, their transformative force is limited by three factors: employment regulations, access to welfare provisions and the employment relations at legacy firms. We examine the case of Amazon logistics in the US, Germany and the UK and find that the employment contract, as a legal institution, prevents the dissemination of independent contracting as the preferred employment model. Moreover, the welfare state has a paradoxical effect on platform work: universal welfare and liberal employment law facilitate the rise of precarious work.

Suggested Citation

  • Anke Hassel & Felix Sieker, 2022. "The platform effect: How Amazon changed work in logistics in Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 28(3), pages 363-382, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eurjou:v:28:y:2022:i:3:p:363-382
    DOI: 10.1177/09596801221082456
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    Cited by:

    1. Janine Berg & Francis Green & Laura Nurski & David A Spencer, 2023. "Risks to job quality from digital technologies: Are industrial relations in Europe ready for the challenge?," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 29(4), pages 347-365, December.
    2. Li, Xue & Tan, Alexander Jun Hao & Wang, Xueqin & Yuen, Kum Fai, 2023. "Investigating gig workers’ commitment to crowdsourced logistics platforms: Fair employment and social exchange perspectives," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    3. Anke Hassel & Didem Özkiziltan, 2023. "Governing the work-related risks of AI: implications for the German government and trade unions," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 29(1), pages 71-86, February.
    4. Nelson Lay-Raby & Pablo Cea-Gonzalez & Hanns de la Fuente-Mella & Gonzalo Ríos-Vásquez, 2025. "Exploring Job Satisfaction in the Platform Economy: A Multidimensional Study of Mobile Digital Platform Workers in Chile," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-26, January.

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