Platform work

• While small in scale, platform work has been dynamically developing in the past 15 years and is expected to continue doing so in the future. Extending the knowledge base and generating reliable estimates on an ongoing basis will help to inform policymaking in this area.
• Platform work is a heterogeneous phenomenon. Different types of platform work result in different effects on employment and working conditions of platform workers.
• The potential misclassification of workers providing services on platforms remains an area of concern. Increasingly, Member States are addressing issues of misclassification through regulatory changes that update existing national employment protection regulations.
• Issues that are specific to platform work relate to, for example, transparency of algorithmic management and control, fairness and portability of ratings, cross-border aspects, enforcement, collective bargaining and consumer protection.
• While it is important to discuss the challenges related to platform work, the opportunities inherent in this employment form and business models should also be acknowledged. Examples refer to the potential contribution of platform work to labour market integration of disadvantaged groups, flexibility to organise work, access to a large client base and generation of additional income especially during economic downturns. However, evidence is still needed about how these opportunities are realised and how they vary for each type of platform work.
• Empirical assessments of platform work should aim to give an accurate and up-to-date picture of the fast-growing economy revolving around online platforms. These should investigate the different ramifications of platform work touching on a variety of policy areas, including business competition, tax evasion, social protection, algorithmic management and consumer protection. 
• Management practices dominant in the platform economy are increasingly used in the broader economy. The use of algorithmic management practices in traditional work settings is an emerging phenomenon which needs further research and policy attention. 

Eurofound research on new forms of employment across the EU identified platform work as one of nine employment forms that are gaining increasing importance since 2000. As platform work continues to grow and diversify, ongoing research looks at the employment and working conditions of selected types of platform work. 

Eurofound is also focusing on assessing the effectiveness of policy initiatives to tackle identified challenges related to platform workers’ employment and working conditions. 

Key topics relate to the representation of platform workers, negotiation of working conditions, provision of insurance and social protection or taxation. The Agency will continue to monitor the evolution of the platform economy through its web repository.

Typology of platform work

Eurofound has identified 10 types of platform work that as of 2017 have reached some critical mass in Europe as regards the number of platforms and affiliated active workers. The main differences between these types are in the scale of tasks, the format of service provision (whether the tasks are delivered locally or online), the level of skills required, the process by which client is matched to worker (offer of work versus contest) and the party that determines the work allocation. 

Regularly updated information on the platform economy

An online platform economy repository, compiled by Eurofound, aims to bring together a range of information on this subject. It includes more detail on Eurofound’s typology of platform work, a range of dossiers offering analysis and context on key issues emerging in the platform economy, as well as a range of initiatives aiming to tackle emerging issues. The repository  also provides specific information related to platform work and COVID-19. 

• Resource: Platform economy repository

Eurofound has also carried out a mapping of studies measuring the platform economy, which outlines the methods used and their limitations, and discusses the options to address data gaps.

• Publication: Mapping the contours of the platform economy (2019 working paper)

Together with the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), it has analysed the motivation of workers to engage in platform work, with a special focus on gender differences.

• Publication: Gender differences in motivation to engage in platform work

With a forward-looking approach, Eurofound developed scenarios of how platform work in Europe could look by 2030, and the likely implications on the economy, labour market and society. These ‘potential futures’ indicate the opportunities and risks of the various development pathways and also put forward what policy could do to realise desirable and avoid undesirable futures.

• Resource: Future scenarios of platform work