The Business Model of Digital Labour Platforms and the Income of Platform Workers in Poland: Theory and Practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15678/krem.9844Keywords:
digital labour platforms, business model, gig economy, platform workers, incomeAbstract
Objective: The article examines the business model of digital labour platforms (DLPs) and the relative financial attractiveness of this form of work for platform workers.
Research Design & Methods: The leading research methods used in the article include a critical analysis of the scientific achievements of Polish and international literature on the topic and a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire.
Findings: The business model of digital labour platforms inherently exerts downward pressure on earnings, favouring low worker income. This pattern affects the pricing of both online and offline services. However, survey results indicate that most service providers in Poland have experienced an income increase since starting work through these online platforms, compared to their previous earnings.
Implications / Recommendations: The business model of digital labour platforms theoretically incorporates elements that force down the incomes of service providers. However, the delivery of services within this framework can, depending on the national context, potentially lead to an increase in platform workers’ earnings. That being said, the relative income growth observed in the Polish labour market does not necessarily contradict the overarching trend of relatively low earnings for the workers in this sector.
Contribution: The topic of platform work and the income of individuals engaged with DLPs in Poland have received limited attention from researchers. There has been also a notable absence of studies addressing these phenomena, particularly with regard to changes in income. The contribution of the present study is that it fills this gap in the literature.
Downloads
References
Berg, J., Furrer, M., Harmon, E., Rani, U., & Six Silberman, M. (2018). Digital Labour Platforms and the Future of Work: Towards Decent Work in the Online World. ILO.
Chen, T., Song, W., Song, J., Ren, Y., Dong, Y., Yang, J., & Zhang, J. S. (2022). Measuring Well-being of Migrant Gig Workers: Exampled as Hangzhou City in China. Behavioral Sciences, 12(10), 365. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12100365
Cicharska, M., Styczeń, P., & Szaro, K. (2018). Sharing economy. Modele biznesowe. W stronę równości czy rozwarstwienia. Texter.
Çiğdem, S. (2022). Motivation of Freelance Employees in the Gig Economy in Turkey. Ege Academic Review, 22(4), 502–520. https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.933203
Collier, R. B., Dubal, V. B., & Carter, C. (2017). Labor Platforms and Gig Work: The Failure to Regulate (IRLE Working Paper No. 106-17). Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3039742
DaSilva, C. M., & Trkman, P. (2014). Business Model: What It Is and What It Is Not. Long Range Planning, 47(6), 379–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2013.08.004
De Stefano, V., & Aloisi, A. (2018). European Legal Framework for “Digital Labour Platforms”. JRC112243. European Commission. https://doi.org/10.2760/78590
Healy, J., Nicholson, D., & Pekarek, A. (2017). Should We Take the Gig Economy Seriously? Labour and Industry, 27(3), 232–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2017.1377048
ILO. (2021). The Role of Digital Labour Platforms in Transforming the World of Work. World Employment and Social Outlook 2021. International Labour Office.
Kenney, M., & Zysman, J. (2016). The Rise of the Platform Economy. Issues in Science and Technology, 32(3), 61–69.
Koutsimpogiorgos, N., van Slageren, J., Herrmann, A. M., & Frenken, K. (2020). Conceptualizing the Gig Economy and Its Regulatory Problems. Policy & Internet, 12(4), 525–545. https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.237
Lehdonvirta, W. (2018). Flexibility in the Gig Economy: Managing Time on Three Online Piecework Platforms. New Technology, Work and Employment, 33(1), 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12102
Massa, L., Tucci, C. L., & Afuah, A. (2016). A Critical Assessment of Business Model Research. Academy of Management Annals, 11(1), 73–104. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2014.0072
Mazmanian, M., Orlikowski, W. J., & Yates, J. (2013). The Autonomy Paradox: The Implications of Mobile Email Devices for Knowledge Professionals. Organization Science, 24(5), 1337–1357. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1120.0806
Myhill, K., Richards, J., & Sang, K. (2021). Job Quality, Fair Work and Gig Work: The Lived Experience of Gig Workers. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(19), 4110–4135. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2020.1867612
OLI. (2022). The Online Labour Index. Retrieved from: https://ilabour.oii.ox.ac.uk/online-labour-index/ (accessed: 15.09.2022).
Ostoj, I. (2022). Innowacyjny model biznesowy cyfrowych platform usług pracy i jego popularność na świecie. In: I. Ostoj, M. Tusińska (Eds), Systemowe uwarunkowania innowacji w gospodarce (pp. 89–101). Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Katowicach.
Schmidt, F. A. (2017). Digital Labour Markets in the Platform Economy: Mapping the Political Challenges of Crowd Work and Gig Work. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
Shevchuk, A., Strebkov, D., & Tyulyupo, A. (2021). Always on across Time Zones: Invisible Schedules in the Online Gig Economy. New Technology, Work and Employment, 36(1), 94–113. https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12191
Vallas, S., & Schor, J. B. (2020). What Do Platforms Do? Understanding the Gig Economy. Annual Review of Sociology, 46, 273–294. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-121919-054857
Wood, A. J., Graham, M., Lehdonvirta, V., & Hjorth, I. (2019). Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy. Work, Employment and Society, 33(1), 56–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017018785616
Zipperer, B., McNicholas, C., Poydock, M., Schneider, D., & Harknett, K. (2022). National Survey of Gig Workers Paints a Picture of Poor Working Conditions, Low Pay. Economic Policy Institute.
Zott, C., Amit, R., & Massa, L. (2011). The Business Model: Recent Developments and Future Research. Journal of Management, 37(4), 1019–1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206311406265
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Krakow University of Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.