플랫폼 노동 -개념편(영문판) | e경제정보리뷰

KDI 경제정보센터

Economic Information and Education Center

핵심이슈 동영상

플랫폼 노동 -개념편(영문판)

KDI 경제정보센터 자료연구팀 2022년 03호

#01. Hello, customer! Your pet sitter will arrive at 2 p.m. today.
Five lawyers have responded to your inquiry. See their responses now!
Your meal has been delivered to your doorstep. Bon appetit!

#02. A range of services from pet sitting and legal consultation to food delivery has enriched daily life.

#03. But did you ever think about how these specialized services are accessed on demand?

#04. The secret lies with digital platforms that link suppliers to customers wherever and whenever they are and the people who offer their services on these platforms.

#05. Platform work is also called “gig work.” Let’s find out more.

#06. Platform work is a new type of job occurring on digital platforms.

#07. As ＂platform＂ in the traditional sense refers to a place where passengers wait for a train,

#08. a digital platform is an intermediary that enables business-to-customer interaction or transactions online.

#09. Many people are both suppliers and customers of services on online platforms.

#10. The number of people moonlighting or working occasionally on such platforms is gradually increasing.

#11. What are a few platform-based jobs that come to mind?

#12. Some are food delivery, door-to-door express courier, designated driver, and home child caregiver and cleaner. These services are location-based and the labor or services are provided in person.

#13. Recently, platform work in which both labor and services are provided in the virtual world (web) have appeared through professional services like translation, design, video editing, legal consultation, and IT and web development.

#14. Here is a question. Many of these platform-based jobs seem little different from their offline versions. So how have digital platforms changed such jobs?

#15. First, they have allowed suppliers to flexibly choose where and when to work.

#16. Platforms make finding jobs easy and quick, enabling people to use their spare time to earn more income.

#17. Second, business owners can benefit from cost savings.

#18. In the past, businesses needed to directly hire workers, paying salaries regardless of how much work was done. But now, by hiring through platforms, workers can be paid on a per-job basis.

#19. Finally, employment opportunities have spread and grown more inclusive.

#20. Platforms are constantly creating jobs, and low-entry barriers mean the economically inactive such as students, homemakers, and those with career interruptions can easily join the labor market.

#21. Despite these benefits, fears have grown over platform work.

#22. Platform workers are not permanent employees and work on a one-off basis, meaning they are excluded from social safety benefits like the minimum wage.

#23. In addition, employment instability may mean lower service quality.
And gig-based work and payment in platform work means fierce competition for jobs.

#24. Yet, platform work is here to stay as a growingly integral part of daily life.

#25. Demand for platform work has grown substantially.

#26. Given this irreversible trend, how will life change if platform work becomes universal?