Dynamics and Quality of Platform Employment in the Era of Coronavirus: Challenges for Russia
Research Article
Acknowledgments
The study was carried out within the framework of a state assignment on the topic: «Components, social standards and indicators of the level and quality of life of the population in modern Russia: qualitative identification and quantitative assessment in conditions of socio-economic inequality» (No. 0137-2019-0032)
How to Cite
Loktyukhina N.V., Chernykh E.A. Dynamics and Quality of Platform Employment in the Era of Coronavirus: Challenges for Russia. Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia. 2020. Vol. 16. No. 4. P. 80-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.19181/lsprr.2020.16.4.7 (in Russ.).
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Russian economy very hard, influenced the forms of labour use and work modes, and required the adoption of fundamentally new managerial decisions in the world of work. We believe that we can talk about social and labour relations in the era of the coronavirus, as well as the lessons to be learned for the future. The relevance of the study of the dynamics and quality of platform employment during the COVID-19 pandemic is due to the poor knowledge, relative novelty, and massiveness of the noted form of employment relations, implemented using digital platforms. The article analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic and social consequences on platform employment in Russia as a whole and on its individual segments. Digital labour platforms are digital networks that algorithmically coordinate labour service transactions. Working on the platform is a new form of work, and it is constantly evolving. The coronavirus pandemic has affected different areas of platform employment in different ways, and this impact is due to the specifics of these areas, the amount of government support, the degree, and speed of adjustment (flexibility) of platform employment in an evolving situation. The article examines the general dynamics of this type of employment, analyzes new trends in industry dynamics, volumes, types, forms, and specifics of platform employment, including the provision of services by self-employed, taxi and car-sharing services on digital labour platforms, as well as activities on electronic digital trading platforms. Recommendations are offered, including government agencies, trade unions, and employers. The problem areas requiring further research have been identified
Keywords:
pandemic COVID-19, digital labor platforms, platform employment, self-employment, regulation of platform employment, employment status, precarious employment, quality of working life, social protection, wages, sharing, taxi market
References
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Global Summit. Covid-19 and the world of work. Ensuring a better future for the world of work. Concept note. ILO. 2020. Accessed 21.08.2020 URL: https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/coronavirus/WCMS_747992/lang--en/index.htm (In Russ.).
Zabelina O.V., Mirzabalaeva F.I., Vega A.Yu. Volunteering as a new form of employment. Russian Journal of Labor Economics. 2019. No.2. P. 775-786. DOI: 10.18334/et.6.2.40692 (In Russ.).
Research of the taxi market. Analiticheskiy tsentr pri Pravitel'stve RF [Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation]. October 8, 2019. Accessed 21.08.2020 URL: https://ac.gov.ru/files/content/24166/rynok-taksi-2019-pdf.pdf (In Russ.).
Chernykh E.A. The quality of platform employment: unstable (precarious) forms, regulatory practices, challenges for Russia. Living standards of the population of Russian regions. 2020. Vol. 16. No. 3. P. 82-97. DOI: 10.19181 / lsprr.2020.16.3.7 (In Russ.).
Buchwald, E. (April 2020). These gig-economy jobs can earn you extra cash during the coronavirus pandemic — without having to leave your home MarketWatch. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/some-gig-economy-jobs-can-provide-extra-income-withouthaving-to-leave-home-2020-03-26
Chandler, S. (2020). Coronavirus turns uber into gig platform for all work. Forbes. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2020/04/07/coronavirus-turns-uber-into-gig-platform-for-allwork/#4f9ea64b1db9
Codagnone, C., Karatzogianni, A. and Matthews, J. (2018) Platform Economics: Rhetoric and Reality in the «Sharing Economy». Emerald Publishing Limited. P. 169-199. DOI: 10.1108/978-1-78743-809-520181009
Choudary, S.P. (2018) The architecture of digital labour platforms: Policy recommendations on platform design for worker well-being, ILO Future of Work Working Paper Series. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---cabinet/documents/publication/wcms_630603.pdf
Eurofound and the International Labour Office (2017), Working anytime, anywhere: The effects on the world of work, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, and the International Labour Office, Geneva. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: http://www.trudcontrol.ru/files/editor/files/wcms_544138.pdf
Frey C.B., Osborne M.A. (2013) The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation? Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 114. January 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2016.08.019
Kelly, J. Thousands of new jobs are being created in response to the coronavirus. Forbes. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2020/03/27/thousands-of-new-jobs-are-being-created-in-response-tothe-coronavirus/#1470847f3d3f
McKeever, V. (2020). Coronavirus lockdowns are making the working day longer for many. CNBC. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-lockdowns-are-making-the-working-daylonger-for-many.html
Peticca-Harris, A., deGama, N., Ravishankar, M. Postcapitalist precarious work and those in the ‘drivers’ seat: Exploring the motivations and lived experiences of Uber drivers in Canada. Organization. 2020. 27. P. 36–59.
Rudolph, C. W., Zacher, H. (2020). The COVID-19 generation: A cautionary note. Work, Aging & Retirement. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7184414/
Scheiber, N. (2020). Jobless claims by Uber and Lyft drivers revive fight over labor status. The New York Times. [online]. Accessed 26.08.2020 URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/business/economy/coronavirus-uber-lyftunemployment.html.
Spurk D., Straub C. (2020) Flexible employment relationships and careers in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Vocational Behavior 119 103435 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103435
UNECE (2010) Measuring Quality of Employment, Country Pilot Reports.
UNECE. Geneva. 2010 Van Bavel, J. J., Boggio, P., Capraro, V., Cichocka, A., Cikara, M., Crockett, M., ... Drury, J. (2020). Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response. Nat Hum Behav 4. P. 460–471. DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0884-z
Article
Received: 09.09.2020
Accepted: 10.11.2020
Citation Formats
Other cite formats:
APA
Loktyukhina, N. V., & Chernykh, E. A. (2020). Dynamics and Quality of Platform Employment in the Era of Coronavirus: Challenges for Russia. Living Standards of the Population in the Regions of Russia, 16(4), 80-95. https://doi.org/10.19181/lsprr.2020.16.4.7
Section
ECONOMIC RESEARCH
