The rapid growth of Uber and analogous platform companies has led to considerable scholarly interest in the phenomenon of platform labor. Scholars have taken two main approaches to explaining outcomes for platform work—precarity, which focuses on employment classification and insecure labor, and technological control via algorithms. Both predict that workers will have relatively common experiences. On the basis of 112 in-depth interviews with workers on seven platforms (Airbnb, TaskRabbit, Turo, Uber, Lyft, Postmates, and Favor) we find heterogeneity of experiences across and within platforms. We argue that because platform labor is weakly institutionalized, worker satisfaction, autonomy, and earnings vary significantly across and within platforms, suggesting dominant interpretations are insufficient. We find that the extent to which workers are dependent on platform income to pay basic expenses rather than working for supplemental income explains the variation in outcomes, with supplemental earners being more satisfied and higher-earning. This suggests platforms are free-riding on conventional employers. We also find that platforms are hierarchically ordered, in terms of what providers can earn, conditions of work, and their ability to produce satisfied workers. Our findings suggest the need for a new analytic approach to platforms, which emphasizes labor force diversity, connections to conventional labor markets, and worker dependence.

中文翻译：

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平台经济中的依赖与不稳定

优步和类似平台公司的快速发展引起了学术界对平台劳动力现象的极大兴趣。学者们采用两种主要方法来解释平台工作的结果——不稳定，侧重于就业分类和不安全的劳动力，以及通过算法进行的技术控制。两者都预测工人会有相对普遍的经历。根据对七个平台（Airbnb、TaskRabbit、Turo、Uber、Lyft、Postmates 和 Favor）上员工的 112 次深度访谈，我们发现平台之间和平台内的体验存在异质性。我们认为，由于平台劳动力的制度化程度较弱，因此平台之间和平台内部的工人满意度、自主权和收入差异很大，这表明主流解释是不够的。我们发现，工人依赖平台收入来支付基本费用而不是为补充收入工作的程度解释了结果的变化，补充收入者更满意且收入更高。这表明平台在搭传统雇主的便车。我们还发现，就供应商的收入、工作条件以及他们培养满意员工的能力而言，平台是按等级排序的。我们的研究结果表明，需要一种新的平台分析方法，强调劳动力的多样性、与传统劳动力市场的联系以及工人的依赖性。这表明平台在搭传统雇主的便车。我们还发现，就供应商的收入、工作条件以及他们培养满意员工的能力而言，平台是按等级排序的。我们的研究结果表明，需要一种新的平台分析方法，强调劳动力的多样性、与传统劳动力市场的联系以及工人的依赖性。这表明平台在搭传统雇主的便车。我们还发现，就供应商的收入、工作条件以及他们培养满意员工的能力而言，平台是按等级排序的。我们的研究结果表明，需要一种新的平台分析方法，强调劳动力的多样性、与传统劳动力市场的联系以及工人的依赖性。