Workaholism among young people in the ride-hailing travel economy

Abstract

The effects of precarious jobs on young people's well-being could be enduring. Research into the causes of harmful working behaviours among young people in the ride-hailing economy is limited. We used qualitative data from 40 ethnographic in-depth interviews with drivers in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa to explore the root causes of workaholism among them and, in turn, proposed a typology. The framing of the typology was guided by the three-tiered tourism workforce taxonomy, which resulted in seven workaholic types. Beyond technology mediation, the reasons for their workaholism included demanding contractual structures, dependency, limited mandatory breaks, culminating into their reliance on energy drinks. Among other actions, deploying catalytic capital to support car loans, reforming regulations and, implementing universal breaks can help address the casues of overworking among ride-hail drivers.