Plattformarbeit
Mit der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung haben sich auch neue Formen der plattformbezogenen Beschäftigung entwickelt. Auf digitalen Plattformen finden Anbietende von Produkten/Dienstleistungen und mögliche Kunden zueinander. Fahrdienste, Essenslieferungen oder Programmierarbeiten sind hierfür Beispiele. Unternehmen schätzen bei dieser Beschäftigungsform die größere Markttransparenz und sinkende Kosten, Beschäftigte vor allem das selbstbestimmte Arbeiten. Die politische Diskussion zu dem Thema ist vor allem durch die unklare soziale Absicherung der Beschäftigten geprägt.
Das Themendossier bildet den Stand der wissenschaftlichen Forschung und der politischen Diskussion ab.
Im Filter „Autorenschaft“ können Sie auf IAB-(Mit-)Autorenschaft eingrenzen.
Weitere Literatur zur Digitalisierung finden Sie in dem Themendossier Digitale Arbeitswelt - Chancen und Herausforderungen für Beschäftigte und Arbeitsmarkt
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Literaturhinweis
Investigating social protection amongst platform workers in Germany: forced individualisation, hybrid income generation and undesired regulation (2026)
Zitatform
Beckmann, Fabian, Sabrina Glanz, Fabian Hoose & Serkan Topal (2026): Investigating social protection amongst platform workers in Germany: forced individualisation, hybrid income generation and undesired regulation. In: Journal of Social Policy, Jg. 55, H. 1, S. 100-118. DOI:10.1017/s0047279424000217
Abstract
"The social protection of platform workers is considered one of the most precarious features and political challenges of this new form of employment. Still, there have only been a few empirical investigations on this issue to date. This article presents an explorative empirical analysis of the social protection of platform workers in Germany – a conservative welfare regime with a strong link between standard employment and institutionalized social protection. On the basis of an online survey amongst 719 self-employed platform workers, we examine how different employment patterns correspond to institutionalized protection against sickness and old age. We empirically explore different protection types and analyse how they differ regarding working conditions in platform work and individual social policy preferences. Findings reveal that conditions of platform work and social protection as well as demands and regulatory preferences vary notably across different clusters of platform workers. Still, the vast majority votes against obligatory social insurances for platform workers and favors self-employment over dependent employment. Against this background, we discuss challenges for future attempts aiming at improving social protection for platform workers. This study adds to the literature by empirically exploring platform workers’ social protection and social policy preferences, which have been overlooked to date." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The EU compromise machine and the politicisation of social policy: Lessons from the regulation of platform work (2026)
Zitatform
Crespy, Amandine, Bastian Kenn, Matteo Marenco & Slavina Spasova (2026): The EU compromise machine and the politicisation of social policy: Lessons from the regulation of platform work. In: Journal of European Social Policy, Jg. 36, H. 1, S. 18-33. DOI:10.1177/09589287251345912
Abstract
"Over the past few years, the legal status and the working conditions of platform workers have been among the most debated manifestations of the digital transformation of work. Tense negotiations on the EU platform work directive (from 2021 to 2024) epitomize long-standing conflicts in EU social policymaking, namely the opposition between capital and labor, on the one hand, and resistance to EU involvement or impact on Member States’ social arrangements, on the other. This paper provides an in-depth inquiry of the policy process by focussing specifically on the presumption of employment in platform work, which was first proposed as an EU-wide provision and eventually nationalized with its definition left to national arrangements. Drawing on this case and mobilizing the literature on positive integration entrepreneurship, and politicization, we shed light on the ‘drivers’ and ‘inhibitors’ of EU social regulation. On the one hand, we provide evidence that joint entrepreneurship of the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission is a primary driver and argue for acknowledging the role of the EP as a key entrepreneur of ‘Social Europe’. On the other hand, divisions in the Council, underpinned by domestic politics, hinder ambitious social policy regulation at EU level in several respects. Furthermore, we tease out the role of politicization and theorize its ambivalent role as both a driver and inhibitor, depending on contingent party political orientations, contextual factors, but also the role played by Council presidencies, so far overlooked in the literature. We conclude that the drivers and inhibitors we identify, and the resulting dynamics of compromise, are relevant beyond the case of platform work. While stressing the crucial, yet ambivalent, role of politicization, our findings cast a shadow on what has recently been described as a great come back of ‘Social Europe’ with the European Pillar of Social Rights." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Online platforms' organizational resources and gig workers' self-leadership (2026)
Ihl, Andreas; Mayer, Anne-Sophie;Zitatform
Ihl, Andreas & Anne-Sophie Mayer (2026): Online platforms' organizational resources and gig workers' self-leadership. In: Journal of vocational behavior. DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2026.104214
Abstract
"An increasing number of gig workers turn to online gig work platforms to pursue potentially boundaryless and protean careers outside traditional organizational settings. Proactive career self-management and related self-leadership are essential to succeed in such careers. However, while traditional organizations facilitate self-leadership by providing traditional organizational resources, such as supportive human resource practices, gig work lacks these important resources. As a result, cultivating self-leadership among gig workers remains a considerable challenge. This study addresses this challenge by investigating how online platforms that centrally shape work environments may provide a resource-related context that facilitates gig workers' self-leadership strategies. Using a contextual and systemic approach to career self-management and inspired by the conservation of resources theory, we draw on insights from a 14-month field study of an online gig work platform, involving data collected from multiple sources. The findings show how platforms offer various types of platform-embedded resources and how workers utilize these resources to engage in behavior- and cognitive-focused self-leadership strategies. This study thereby contributes to the literature on careers in gig work by theorizing the role of online platforms in shaping gig workers' careers from a proactive and agentic perspective." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © 2026 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Good Jobs or Bad Jobs? Immigrant Workers in the Gig Economy (2026)
Zitatform
Liu, Cathy Yang & Rory Renzy (2026): Good Jobs or Bad Jobs? Immigrant Workers in the Gig Economy. In: International migration review, Jg. 60, H. 1, S. 114-138. DOI:10.1177/01979183241309585
Abstract
"New work arrangements enabled by online platforms, or gig work, saw substantive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Various estimates have suggested the wide participation of workers in the gig economy, with minority and immigrant workers well represented. The quality of work is a multi-dimensional concept that goes beyond earnings. One framework of good jobs and bad jobs centers on control over work schedule, content and duration, stability, safety, benefits and insurance, as well as career advancement opportunities. Using a newly released national survey focused on entrepreneurs and workers in the United States, we find that about 18.5 percent immigrant workers and 21.1 percent native-born workers participated in the gig economy as their primary or secondary job. In terms of job quality, immigrant gig workers work shorter hours and have significantly less fringe benefits than non-gig workers as well as U.S.-born gig workers, reflecting a double disadvantage. However, they tend to have higher entrepreneurial aspirations, suggesting the transient nature of gig arrangements and potential for career advancements. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics and implication of immigrants’ engagement with the gig economy and offers policy and theoretical discussions." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
The Enshittification of Work: Platform Decay and Labour Conditions in the Gig Economy (2026)
Zitatform
Maffie, Michael David & Hector Hurtado (2026): The Enshittification of Work: Platform Decay and Labour Conditions in the Gig Economy. In: BJIR, Jg. 64, H. 1, S. 5-20. DOI:10.1111/bjir.70004
Abstract
"This study investigates the mechanisms by which gig platforms degrade labor conditions over time, building on the concept of platform decay, or ‘enshittification’, initially developed in the context of social media platforms. In this article, we draw on 30 interviews with long-term gig workers in the ride-hail and grocery delivery sectors, offering insights into how these companies shift from offering attractive working conditions to exploiting labor as these services develop market power via network effects. We identify three mechanisms through which gig companies claw back value from workers over time: burden shifting (transferring operational costs to workers), feature addition and alteration (increasing the demands on workers), and market manipulation (reducing worker bargaining power). We then explore how workers respond to platform decay, finding that workers adopt three responses: effort recalibration , multi-homing and navigating the changing conditions through what we term toxic resilience . This study contributes to the gig work literature by developing a framework to explain how working conditions in the gig economy improve or degrade over time. In doing so, this article provides a framework for organizing the growing constellation of labour research on gig workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Varieties of platform capitalism? Competition, regime types and the diversity of food delivery platforms across Europe and North America (2025)
Zitatform
Ametowobla, Dzifa & Stefan Kirchner (2025): Varieties of platform capitalism? Competition, regime types and the diversity of food delivery platforms across Europe and North America. In: Socio-economic review, Jg. 23, H. 2, S. 899-931. DOI:10.1093/ser/mwae079
Abstract
"This article challenges the idea of platform capitalism, that digital platforms implement a uniform model based on a self-employed labor force. Expanding on empirical evidence of a diversity of platform models, we theorize expectations about platform diversity from competition and comparative capitalism research. Using a unique cross-national dataset of leading food delivery platforms in 32 countries across North America and Europe, we compare platform models and competitive relations across national institutional regimes. Our analyses uncover a considerable diversity of platform models across Europe, in contrast to a clear uniformity in North America. We also find that the use of self-employment varies across and within large multinational corporations and is most prevalent in countries of the lightly regulated regime type. Our results call for an economic sociology perspective on the platform economy that integrates a general concept of platforms but allows for diversity stemming from competition and different national regimes." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Won’t Get Fooled Again? Theorizing Discursive Constructions of Novelty in the ‘New’ World of Work (2025)
Aroles, Jeremy ; Leclercq-Vandelannoitte, Aurelie ; Hassard, John ; Granter, Edward ; Foster, William M.;Zitatform
Aroles, Jeremy, Aurelie Leclercq-Vandelannoitte, John Hassard, William M. Foster & Edward Granter (2025): Won’t Get Fooled Again? Theorizing Discursive Constructions of Novelty in the ‘New’ World of Work. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 39, H. 4, S. 882-903. DOI:10.1177/09500170241300948
Abstract
"This article outlines how notions of novelty define today’s work practices and debates what the discursive construction of work as ‘new’ means. On the one hand, we highlight a misplaced emphasis on change and novelty that can lead to unnecessary dichotomization in the characterization and discursive construction of work practices and organizational phenomena. On the other, we specify substantive continuities in a range of strategic, organizational and employment arrangements. As such, we contend that a critical evaluation of key characteristics of contemporary work reveals that they are often not unique. Instead, these characteristics reflect the extending, rebranding or reshaping of measures and processes fashioned in earlier forms of value production. Ultimately, we theorize how the promotion of the ‘new’ world of work reflects structures and practices somehow altered in appearance, yet still analogous in substance, to those found in the traditional employment and production fabric of organizations." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Digital Nomads, the New Frontier of Work in the Digital Age: A Bibliometric Analysis (2025)
Zitatform
Başaran, Altan (2025): Digital Nomads, the New Frontier of Work in the Digital Age: A Bibliometric Analysis. In: Sustainability, Jg. 17, H. 5. DOI:10.3390/su17051906
Abstract
"Digital nomadism is more than just a tourism idea. It represents a new working paradigm in which digital trends are transforming relationships between employers, work, and employees. Our study focuses on digital nomadism and the platforms that enable remote work relationships, which are the result of digitalization. The present study seeks to identify the current research trends and to rationalize future research opportunities in regards to digital nomads. To this end, a bibliometric analysis of available literature from the Scopus and Web of Science databases between 2006 and 2024 will be conducted. The study uses RStudio version 2024.12.0 Build 467 and Biblioshiny as tools to perform the bibliometric analysis of the extracted data. The research findings indicate that the publication of articles demonstrated an annual growth rate of 26.31% between 2006 and 2024. The average number of citations per document is 11.19. The UK, Portugal, Spain, and the USA are the most prominent contributors to digital nomad literature. Even though the conceptual discussions of this phenomenon are carried out in different disciplines, bibliometric analysis is used in our study to observe the areas in which the subject attracts attention in the academic literature and to predict the trends for the future." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Varieties of Gig Work: Germany’s Unique Development in the Platform-based Food Delivery Sector (2025)
Zitatform
Beyer, Jürgen & Katharina Legantke (2025): Varieties of Gig Work: Germany’s Unique Development in the Platform-based Food Delivery Sector. In: Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Jg. 54, H. 4, S. 381-399. DOI:10.1515/zfsoz-2025-2024
Abstract
"Diese Studie untersucht die Entwicklung des plattformbasierten Lebensmittelliefersektors in Deutschland und insbesondere die Gründe dafür, warum sich das in der Gig-Economy übliche Modell mit selbstständigen Kurier:innen hierzulande nicht durchgesetzt hat. Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Ländern stellen die großen Lebensmittellieferplattformen in Deutschland ihre Beschäftigten direkt an und gewähren ihnen Rechte sowie Sozialleistungen wie Mindestlohn, bezahlten Urlaub und Lohnfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall. Anhand einer historisch-soziologischen Fallstudie zeigt die Untersuchung, wie der frühe Einfluss von „Bringdienst.de“, das Restaurants Online-Bestellungen ermöglichte, ohne den Lieferprozess selbst zu organisieren, die Entwicklung der Branche maßgeblich geprägt hat. Ein wegweisendes Gerichtsurteil im Jahr 2020 verstärkte zudem die Bedenken hinsichtlich Scheinselbstständigkeit und führte letztlich dazu, dass die Plattformen vom Gig-Worker-Modell mit selbstständigen Kurier:innen Abstand nahmen." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku, © De Gruyter)
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Literaturhinweis
Different status, same demands? The social policy preferences of platform workers in OECD countries (2025)
Zitatform
Chueri, Juliana & Marius R. Busemeyer (2025): Different status, same demands? The social policy preferences of platform workers in OECD countries. In: Competition and Change, S. 1-18. DOI:10.1177/10245294251318440
Abstract
"Platform work has introduced a new dimension of precarity in the labor market, as platform workers face high labor market risks and have limited access to social protection. The expansion of this employment status raises the question of whether platform workers have distinct social policy preferences from workers with similar socioeconomic backgrounds who are not employed in the platform economy. This paper empirically examines how and under what circumstances the social policy preferences of platform workers differ from those of other workers. We find that platform workers are more likely to demand more compensatory labor market policies than regular workers. Also, they are more likely to demand more social investment-type policies than regular and atypical workers who do not engage in the platform economy. We also find evidence for contextual effects: whereas welfare state generosity is associated with weaker demand from platform workers for compensatory labor market policies, it is associated with higher support for social investment. Our results suggest that the expansion of platform work will fuel demands for welfare expansion, specifically focusing on social investment." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
How welfare states influence online platform work in Europe (2025)
Zitatform
Chueri, Juliana & Petter Törnberg (2025): How welfare states influence online platform work in Europe. In: Journal of European Social Policy, S. 1-17. DOI:10.1177/09589287251357463
Abstract
"Digital labor platforms are reshaping global labor markets by enabling the transnational contracting of service workers. While the dominant perspective emphasizes market forces, predicting that lower-wage countries will dominate the supply side, this view overlooks the institutional context in which platform labor emerges. This paper advances the argument that national welfare institutions are key to shaping participation in the platform economy. We provide the first large-scale cross-national comparative analysis of platform labor, combining micro-level data from one of the world’s largest remote work platforms with country-level indicators from 26 European countries. In line with market expectations, we find that lower-wage countries supply most low-skilled labor, while higher-wage countries show a more balanced distribution between low- and high-skilled workers. Crucially, however, our analysis reveals that greater welfare state generosity is associated with lower levels of platform participation, especially in low-skilled occupations. We argue that platform labor cannot be understood solely as a function of technological change or wage differentials. It is also an expression of structural constraints: where social protections are weak, people are more likely to turn to precarious forms of online work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Algorithmisches Management bei App-basierten Lieferdiensten: Fast die Hälfte der betroffenen Gig-Worker fühlt sich dadurch überwacht (2025)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2025): Algorithmisches Management bei App-basierten Lieferdiensten: Fast die Hälfte der betroffenen Gig-Worker fühlt sich dadurch überwacht. In: IAB-Forum H. 23.09.2025. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250923.01
Abstract
"Arbeit auf digitalen Plattformen zeichnet sich durch den Einsatz von algorithmischem Management aus. Eine Befragung zeigt, wie Gig-Worker bei App-basierten Lieferdiensten diese Praxis wahrnehmen. Die überwiegende Mehrheit der Gig-Worker gibt an, dass ihre Lieferdienstplattform digitale Arbeitsmittel beispielsweise einsetzt, um ihnen Aufgaben automatisch zuzuweisen und ihren Standort zu verfolgen. Fast die Hälfte der Betroffenen fühlt sich dadurch überwacht." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
App-basierte Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Warum Menschen Gig-Work aufnehmen und meist schnell wieder beenden (Serie: „Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie“) (2025)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Ramona Jost, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2025): App-basierte Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Warum Menschen Gig-Work aufnehmen und meist schnell wieder beenden (Serie: „Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie“). In: IAB-Forum H. 16.04.2025. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250416.01
Abstract
"App-basierte Lieferdienste haben sich in den letzten Jahren rasant ausgebreitet. Das hat auch die öffentliche Diskussion um schlechte Arbeitsbedingungen der dort beschäftigten Gig-Worker angefacht. Allerdings gibt es bisher wenige gesicherte Erkenntnisse darüber, was Menschen zur Aufnahme von Gig-Jobs bewegt. Über die Gründe zur Beendigung dieser meist kurzen Jobs ist ebenfalls wenig bekannt. Das IAB bringt mit Ergebnissen einer neuen Befragung Licht in dieses Dunkel." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Solo-Selbstständigkeit hat zwischen 2018 und 2021 stark abgenommen (Serie "Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie") (2025)
Zitatform
Friedrich, Martin, Ines Helm, Julia Lang & Christoph Müller (2025): Lieferdienste in Deutschland: Solo-Selbstständigkeit hat zwischen 2018 und 2021 stark abgenommen (Serie "Beschäftigung in der Gig-Ökonomie"). In: IAB-Forum H. 04.06.2025, 2025-06-04. DOI:10.48720/IAB.FOO.20250604.01
Abstract
"Über Solo- und Scheinselbstständigkeit bei Online-Lieferdiensten wird in der Öffentlichkeit häufig mit Sorge um die soziale Absicherung der dort tätigen Plattformarbeiter*innen diskutiert. Während sich die Erwerbstätigkeit in der Lieferdienstbranche zwischen 2012 und 2021 verdoppelt hat, hat der Anteil der Solo-Selbstständigen deutlich abgenommen. Im Jahr 2021 waren mehr als 95 Prozent der Lieferdienstfahrer*innen abhängig beschäftigt." (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)
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Literaturhinweis
Outsourcing Domestic Work in the Crisis of Social Reproduction: Platform‐Mediated Cleaning and the Role of Clients (2025)
Zitatform
Gerold, Stefanie, Katarzyna Gruszka, Karin Sardadvar, Hendrik Theine & Anna Pillinger (2025): Outsourcing Domestic Work in the Crisis of Social Reproduction: Platform‐Mediated Cleaning and the Role of Clients. In: New Technology, Work and Employment, S. 1-12. DOI:10.1111/ntwe.70015
Abstract
"Amid the crisis of social reproduction, outsourcing domestic work has become increasingly appealing, with labour platforms offering new avenues to do so. This article explores the largely overlooked perspective of clients using platform-mediated cleaning services, focusing on Helpling in Germany. Drawing on a multi-method study, we examine clients’ motivations for hiring cleaners through platforms and their perceptions of working conditions. We also analyse interactions between clients and cleaners, and how these are shaped by the platform. Our findings suggest that platforms like Helpling are attractive because of their convenience and their promise of an allegedly legal alternative to informal arrangements. While some clients express concerns over precarious working conditions, others justify them through market logic or assumptions about cleaners’ backgrounds. The platform infrastructure helps mediate trust, yet personal relations between clients and cleaners limit the platform's strategy of delegating management and control mechanisms to clients." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Contextualizing inequalities in the gig economy: evidence from online cleaning platforms in five European cities (2025)
Zitatform
Giuliani, Giovanni Amerigo & Rebecca Paraciani (2025): Contextualizing inequalities in the gig economy: evidence from online cleaning platforms in five European cities. In: The international journal of sociology and social policy, S. 1-20. DOI:10.1108/ijssp-12-2024-0619
Abstract
"Purpose: This paper explores the impact of national contexts on the profile of workers in the gig economy, with a specific focus on online cleaning platforms. The study aims to understand how national contexts influence the gender and ethnic composition of workers on domestic cleaning platforms, examining the intersectional effects of gender and ethnicity in platform-based work. Design/methodology/approach: Focusing on the case of the Yoopies platform operating in five Western European cities – Berlin, Copenhagen, Paris, Rome and Stockholm – this exploratory research is based on an original dataset that combines platform-based data directly collected from Yoopies with national-level data provided by Eurostat. Hypotheses were tested using simple correlation analysis to assess cross-country differences. Findings: The study shows that national contexts play an important role in shaping the gender and ethnic composition of workers on online cleaning platforms. Specifically, it identifies how structural features of the offline labor market influence the gendering and racialization of these platforms, highlighting variations across countries. The research also finds evidence of intersectional effects, where gender and ethnicity intersect to shape the profile of platform workers. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the growing literature on domestic work in the digital platform economy by providing a comparative perspective on cross-country differences in the composition of the platform workforce. It highlights the importance of national offline labor market characteristics in contributing to shaping platform-mediated work and provides new insights into the intersectionality of gender, ethnicity, and work in the gig economy. The findings contribute to both platform economy research and labor market studies, offering implications for policy and future research on the dynamics of digital work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Emerald Group) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Space and Inequality in Precarious Work: Thinking With and Beyond Platforms (2025)
Zitatform
Griesbach, Kathleen (2025): Space and Inequality in Precarious Work: Thinking With and Beyond Platforms. In: Sociology Compass, Jg. 19, H. 3. DOI:10.1111/soc4.70026
Abstract
"Platform-based gig work illustrates a broader erosion of the spatial boundaries of work. While geographers have long theorized space as an integral part of capitalist work processes and social life, sociological research has often treated space as a backdrop for work processes rather than an active process shaping the social world, contemporary work, inequality, and resistance. However, important work in urban and rural sociology emphasizes the central role place plays in social life and inequality. This review synthesizes insights on space, place, and inequality and identifies key spatial continuities between platform labor and other forms of precarious work. I find common throughlines across disciplines: the intertwining of space, place, and social relations and the relevance of space and place for understanding inequality. Next, I relate spatial theories of capitalist development to contemporary precarious work. Finally, I suggest 3 promising avenues for incorporating space into research on contemporary work and inequality today: analyzing how existing inequalities intersect with the spatial features of new and enduring work structures; examining how contemporary work processes are reshaping rural and urban geographies; and identifying the spatial practices of contemporary organizing and resistance." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Dependence and Precarity in the Gig Economy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Platform Work and Mental Distress (2025)
Zitatform
Guo, Ya, Sizhan Cui, Zhuofei Lu & Senhu Wang (2025): Dependence and Precarity in the Gig Economy: A Longitudinal Analysis of Platform Work and Mental Distress. In: The British journal of sociology, Jg. 76, H. 5, S. 1169-1187. DOI:10.1111/1468-4446.70028
Abstract
"While there is a growing body of literature examining platform dependence and its implications for mental health, much of the research has focused on gig workers with small sample sizes. The lack of large-scale quantitative research, particularly using longitudinal representative data, limits a comprehensive understanding of the dynamic relationship between platform dependence and mental distress. This study uses nationally representative data from the UK and fixed effects models to explore the heterogeneity of gig work, specifically examining differences in mental distress between high-dependence workers (those solely engaged in gig work) and low-dependence workers (those also employed in other jobs). The findings reveal that high-dependence gig workers have greater mental distress compared to low-dependence and full-time workers, with their mental well-being similar to those with no paid work. Low-dependence gig workers have lower mental distress than those without paid work. Financial precarity and loneliness partly explain these differences, with the impact stronger for highly educated high-dependence workers and less educated low-dependence workers. These findings highlight the significance of recognizing the heterogeneity of gig work in addressing future well-being challenges in a post-pandemic economy, as well as broadening the scope of the latent deprivation model to encompass the unique dynamics of gig work." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Support and employment preferences in online platform work: A cluster analysis of German-speaking workers (2025)
Zitatform
Klaus, Dominik, Maddalena Lamura, Marcel Bilger & Barbara Haas (2025): Support and employment preferences in online platform work. A cluster analysis of German-speaking workers. In: International Journal of Social Welfare, Jg. 34, H. 1, S. e12659. DOI:10.1111/ijsw.12659
Abstract
"Online platform work is an emerging field of non-standard employment. Up to now, there has been little knowledge of the perspective of online platform workers on social protection and regulation. We provide quantitative data (n = 1727) on their needs for support and on their employment status preferences. Given the heterogeneity of German-speaking online platform workers, we have conducted a cluster analysis to group workers according to task length, hourly wage, working hours and experience on online platforms. Most of the respondents are solo-self-employed and hybrid workers. They prefer support instruments that improve their skills and income over those that aim to strengthen their rights. The majority of platform workers are in favour of working outside of platforms. The study also shows that despite the low dependence on platform income, the actual poverty risk is relatively high." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons) ((en))
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Literaturhinweis
Inequality Regimes in Coworking Spaces: How New Forms of Organising (Re)produce Inequalities (2025)
Zitatform
Knappert, Lena, Boukje Cnossen & Renate Ortlieb (2025): Inequality Regimes in Coworking Spaces: How New Forms of Organising (Re)produce Inequalities. In: Work, Employment and Society, Jg. 39, H. 1, S. 43-63. DOI:10.1177/09500170241237188
Abstract
"Coworking is a rapidly growing worldwide phenomenon. While the coworking movement emphasizes equality and emancipation, there is little known about the extent to which coworking spaces as new forms of organizing live up to this ideal. This study examines inequality in coworking spaces in the Netherlands, employing Acker’s framework of inequality regimes. The findings highlight coworking-specific components of inequality regimes, in particular stereotyped assumptions regarding ‘ideal members’ that establish the bases of inequality, practices that produce inequality (e.g. through the commodification of community) and practices that perpetuate inequality (e.g. the denial of inequality). The study provides an update of Acker’s framework in the context of coworking and speaks, more broadly, to the growing body of literature on (in)equality in emerging organizational contexts." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))