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Project
Measuring job quality of urban gig workers in Brussels. Construction of an empirical research instrument. (FWOTM1090)
The digitalisation of labour markets has lead to new business models
that aim to be more flexible and cost-efficient, by creating online
platforms that match supply and demand. These platforms do not
operate as traditional employers, but instead hire large numbers of
independent contractors, who perform demarcated tasks for a
defined time. In this flexible, (skills-)demanding, fast-changing labour
markets, guaranteeing high-quality employment presents a
challenge. This challenge not only applies to the job content, but also
to the very concepts and instruments that can be used to assess the
job quality of gig workers. In this study, we will therefore construct
and validate a research instrument for job quality among Brussels gig
workers in four sectors (urban food delivery, care work, handyman
services and the cultural event sector). We aim to address three
challenges: changing employment relations, heterogeneity in
economic dependency, and a policy framework that is not adapted to
these jobs. The objective of this project is therefore twofold: 1)
Conceptual – evaluating the dimensions that a job quality approach
for urban gig work should contain, based on the challenges outlined
above; and 2) Operational – translating these dimensions into a
measurement tool
that aim to be more flexible and cost-efficient, by creating online
platforms that match supply and demand. These platforms do not
operate as traditional employers, but instead hire large numbers of
independent contractors, who perform demarcated tasks for a
defined time. In this flexible, (skills-)demanding, fast-changing labour
markets, guaranteeing high-quality employment presents a
challenge. This challenge not only applies to the job content, but also
to the very concepts and instruments that can be used to assess the
job quality of gig workers. In this study, we will therefore construct
and validate a research instrument for job quality among Brussels gig
workers in four sectors (urban food delivery, care work, handyman
services and the cultural event sector). We aim to address three
challenges: changing employment relations, heterogeneity in
economic dependency, and a policy framework that is not adapted to
these jobs. The objective of this project is therefore twofold: 1)
Conceptual – evaluating the dimensions that a job quality approach
for urban gig work should contain, based on the challenges outlined
above; and 2) Operational – translating these dimensions into a
measurement tool
Date:1 Nov 2021 → Today
Keywords:Gig work, Job Quality, Urban studies
Disciplines:Innovation, research and development, technological change, intellectual property rights, Urban sociology and community studies, Sociological methodology and research methods, Sociology of occupations and professions, Sociology of work