Platform work: essence, trends, evaluation

Abstract

The development of the digital economy is leading to significant changes in labour and employment worldwide. These changes include transformations in the traditional employment structure, increased labour mobility, and use of nonstandard forms of employment. Online platform work, a new and rapidly developing form of employment, is still a small part of the overall labour market. However, it is a clear sign of technological change and globalisation. The relevance of studying platform work is due to its rapid development and the need to understand its socio-economic consequences (e.g. reduced social security of workers). In addition, the issues of statistical evaluation and the development of effective strategies for regulating platform work are becoming increasingly important. The aim of the article is to identify the peculiarities of platform work in the Republic of Belarus and to propose ways to improve its assessment and regulation. The article examines the directions of transformation in the sphere of labour and employment in the conditions of digitalisation of the economy, analyses the trends in the development of platform work in the world and in the Republic of Belarus, and identifies the peculiarities of the formation of information on platform work. Based on the results of the study, the authors developed recommendations to improve the assessment and regulation of platform work in the Republic of Belarus. These recommendations include changes in legal and regulatory acts; improvements in the collection of statistical information; in-depth studies of platform work; creation of a special body (council) for the development of platform work in the Republic of Belarus.

Keywords

• platform work
• platform economy
• gig-economy
• non-standard forms of employment