Modalidades de contratación a medida. La intermediación digital en el trabajo doméstico en Argentina

Abstract

Within the field of studies on digital intermediaries in the domestic and care work sector, some research suggests that these intermediaries exacerbate and perpetuate the inherent labor precariousness of the sector and the social inequalities that sustain it, while others highlight the ambivalence of their effects. Focusing on the organizational structures assumed by digital platforms, the purpose of this article is to shed lights on the differential effects of the various modes of intervention that develop in each context according to their specificity. Through the study of the digital platform Zolvers in Argentina, we analyze its adaptation to a sector characterized by two opposing trends: the formalization of labor relations and the increase in hourly work. This gives rise to three hiring modalities: regular hires managed by the digital platform, regular hires managed by household employers, and occasional hires. Although workers use these hiring modalities interchangeably and even accumulate jobs that correspond to all of them, the effects on working conditions vary significantly. In the first modality, the platform’s intervention automates certain rights; in the second, working conditions are more heterogeneous as the legal framework is challenged by employers; in the third, working conditions are extremely precarious due to the sporadic and short-term nature of the work. This study highlights that the effects of digital platforms on working conditions depend on the type of intermediation. The research used a quantitative-qualitative methodology, including a survey of 300 workers, 20 semi-structured interviews with workers, two focus groups with workers, and four with employers who use Zolvers

Keywords

• argentina
• digital intermediaries
• domestic work
• hiring modalities
• platform economy