The platformisation of work: evidence from the JRC Algorithmic Management and Platform Work survey (AMPWork)

This report provides a first approximation to the emerging phenomenon of platformisation of work, with an empirical analysis of data from the new [Joint Research Centre] JRC Algorithmic Management and Platform Work survey (AMPWork) in Spain and Germany. The study focuses on three key elements of platforms: the digital devices used at work, the digital monitoring of work, and the use of algorithms for work organisation. These three elements are studied in three different contexts: regular work settings, Digital Labour Platforms and content sharing platforms. The implications of these new forms of work for work organisation and working conditions are also discussed. The findings show that a small but significant proportion of workers in the two countries analysed are subject to digital monitoring and algorithmic management systems at work to some degree. A smaller but not marginal proportion of the working age population get their main income from providing labour services through Digital Labour Platforms. And another sizeable proportion of the working age population spend a significant amount of time producing unpaid content for sharing platforms outside their family and close friends.

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