Temporary Workers Research Articles

Assessment of Worker Satisfaction with Special Emphasis on Gig Economy: Workers, Work and Platform Perspective

The gig economy has revolutionized the modern workforce, offering them a flexible work arrangement but also raising concerns about worker satisfaction. This study explores the satisfaction levels of gig workers, examining the factors that influence their satisfaction and comparing them to traditional employees. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining survey of 200 platform workers aimed at collecting information to fill gaps in rights and renumeration, for the benefit of platform workers. Data collection was made by using online survey and face to face interviews methods. Results indicate that these workers experience unique satisfaction challenges, including income instability, lack of benefits, and limited career advancement opportunities. The gig economy is a quickly growing phenomenon in which people work in a variety of full-time, part-time, freelance, and temporary capacities using online platforms. The study identifies key predictors of worker satisfaction, including job control, social support, and perceived fairness. The findings have implications for organizations, policymakers, and gig workers themselves, highlighting the need for tailored support systems and regulations to enhance satisfaction and well-being in the gig economy

Rural infrastructure development in the context of seasonal employment in agriculture of the Russian Federation

The article examines the little-studied issue of seasonal employment in the agricultural economy as a vector of the employment category, the importance of which increases every year. In this regard, the purpose of the study is to develop proposals for improving state regulation of social protection issues for seasonal workers in agriculture. The long-overdue issues of regulating the labor relations of Russian agricultural producers with workers employed for seasonal work in terms of social guarantees require timely solutions. Also on the agenda are the acute problems of providing basic living conditions for the employees involved, especially with regard to housing conditions, transport and telecommunications infrastructure. As of the end of 2022, only 72 % of rural settlements have paved roads connected to the public road network, and the proportion of households in rural settlements with Internet access amounted to 81.2 %. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the development of specific measures of state participation in the development of basic rural infrastructure and the creation of favorable living conditions for seasonal workers in agricultural production. In particular, measures are proposed to stimulate the involvement of seasonal workers with the prospect of improving housing conditions. The use of the mechanism of concession agreements in terms of the development of transport infrastructure and the application of proven foreign practices in the development of telecommunications infrastructure, taking into account the consolidation at the legislative level, will allow the most effective use of the workforce of seasonal workers in the agricultural sector.

Gig Workers and Employment Laws: An Indian Perspective

Gig Workers and Employment Laws: An Indian Perspective

Tackling Labour Monopsony by Gig Platforms: The Anti-Monopoly Law as an Alternative Legal Approach to the Labour Law System in China

Abstract In the gig economy, workers could be subject to exploitative and coercive practices by platforms and their stringent labour algorithms. Since gig workers are not defined as typical employees, the Chinese labour law system fails to adequately protect gig workers. Furthermore, the limited scope of labour law protection is also another reason for the ineffectiveness of the Chinese labour law system. Even if gig workers can be identified as employees, the regulation of labour algorithms is uncovered by the existing labour laws. Additionally, collective bargaining rights of gig workers may help but as explained in Section 4, they are still immature and collective barging practices are likely to violate the Chinese Anti-Monopoly Law. This article claims that the enforcement of the Anti-Monopoly Law can be an alternative approach to protecting gig workers as the gig platforms may constitute a labour monopsony. Therefore, anti-trust enforcement can step in and punish exploitative and coercive practices harming gig workers. However, there are limitations of the Anti-Monopoly Law in dealing with these practices and thereby the advantages of the Chinese labour law system regarding the protection of gig workers should still be taken seriously.

The effect of output on employment in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant decline in output, as well as economic policies aimed at mitigating the negative effects of the pandemic. Both of these factors had an impact on the labour market. This paper investigates changes in employment across groups of workers during the coronavirus pandemic in Poland and the effect of output on these changes. Firstly, it examines changes in employment growth rates across different groups of workers in 2020. Secondly, the paper analyses the impact of the coronavirus crisis on employment by comparing actual and predicted employment growth during the pandemic period (2020). Using Okun’s law, Ordinary Least Squares, and quarterly data, the elasticities of employment growth with respect to GDP growth in the pre-pandemic period (2003–2019) are calculated. These elasticities are then used to estimate projected employment growth during the pandemic. The results suggest that the total employment response to output change was relatively small, compared to the historical pattern. However, the response was unequal across groups of workers. The youngest workers, particularly women, and those with temporary employment contracts were most affected by the pandemic.

Research on the Management of College Students' Employment Process Based on the Perspective of "Diagnosis and Reform 8-Character Spiral"

Due to the lack of theoretical guidance, some college students lack systematic and scientific planning and process supervision after setting their own career goals, resulting in wavering temporary employment goals in the later stage, missing the best opportunity for employment, and unable to achieve the optimal choice for employment. This article focuses on the dual supervision of students' goal achievement process and results through the "8-character spiral of diagnosis and reform", using both dynamic and static states. It emphasizes both the "completion time" diagnosis and reform and the "progress time" diagnosis and reform. Among them, the "completion time" diagnostic reform aims to stimulate knowledge innovation, while the "progress time" diagnostic reform aims to achieve real-time regulation.

Motivated by Money? Class, Gender, Race, and Workers’ Accounts of Platform-Based Gig Work Participation

Motivated by Money? Class, Gender, Race, and Workers’ Accounts of Platform-Based Gig Work Participation

Immigrant labour, rural economies, and the question of housing

AbstractThere is a renewed interest in policy initiatives that aim to ruralize and regionalize immigration in Canada. These efforts are visible through temporary foreign worker programs linked to Provincial Nominee Programs, as well as the increase in the number of refugee resettlement programs in smaller communities. Against this backdrop, cities in Canada are experiencing a housing crisis. There is a tacit assumption that immigrants in smaller and more rural settings will fare better with respect to housing. This paper examines the assumptions underpinning efforts to ruralize and regionalize immigration—namely that immigrants to smaller centres will find more affordable and available housing. By presenting two case studies of small towns that have successfully leveraged immigration to meet their labour market needs, this paper demonstrates that housing remains a critical issue for newcomers, even outside of large urban centres. Further, the paper argues that discussions about housing need to be linked to broader policy conversations about immigration and labour, especially in contexts where transnational corporations leverage immigration and temporary labour programs to secure their workforce, without parallel investments in infrastructure and housing.

Delivering the Brand Promise Through Gig Workers: Internal Brand Management in Ride-Hailing Platforms

This paper explores the intersection of Internal Brand Management (IBM) and the Sharing Economy, specifically how platform organizations ensure brand-aligned service while relying on gig workers. Basic IBM relationships are examined for continued validity in two ride-hailing platforms. Potential moderators are explored, including electronic performance monitoring, qualitative job insecurity, and platform fairness. Findings reveal that IBM relationships persist, offering a scalable solution for consistent brand delivery. Moderating effects are identified, offering insights for platform managers and prompting avenues for future research. With growth of the gig economy, understanding the adaptability of IBM in platform contexts is crucial for brand success.

Off-grid? Resistant media operations by delivery gig workers in response to app-based tracking

Off-grid? Resistant media operations by delivery gig workers in response to app-based tracking

The Best of Both Worlds: Affiliation and Agency in Traditional and Gig Work Choices

The opportunity to construct a career and the prevalence of virtual work are hallmarks of the extant environment that makes career decisions and workforce recruitment increasingly complex. We seek to understand jobseekers’ choices in this context, which allows for great personal control and independence. We draw on the career self-management stream of social-cognitive career theory to inform our examination of the influences of certain applicant work preferences and individual characteristics on preferences for gig or traditional work and related job-seeking behaviors. Findings from this study indicate that a sense of agency and need for affiliation are significantly related to new and transitional job seekers’ willingness to pursue face-to-face versus gig work opportunities. Additionally, this work revealed a positive relationship between a preference for face-to-face and gig work options, indicating that incorporating a combination of the two may be optimal for employees and employers.

Assessment of the Influence of Contracting Models on the Well-Being of Construction Workers in the Brazilian Amazon

The construction industry is known to present various stress-inducing conditions for its workforce, especially for workers under different employment arrangements. This research aims to investigate the influence of employment status (permanent and temporary workers) on the perception of well-being at work (WBW). The study also aims to assess whether variables such as satisfaction, commitment, and involvement are statistically significant in evaluating construction workers’ WBW. The research was conducted at various construction sites located in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 376 responses were obtained using the Work Well-being Inventory (IBET-13) questionnaire. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to understand the relationship between self-perceived well-being (dependent variable) by employees and employment status, satisfaction, commitment, and involvement at work (independent variables). The results suggest that the employment arrangement does not significantly impact the evaluation of well-being, indicating that other factors may mediate the relationship between WBW and mental health, as well as contribute to explaining this result, such as current legislation, occupational characteristics, and unique aspects of the Brazilian reality. The research findings can contribute to the development of strategies that promote a more sustainable and healthy construction environment for workers.

Gig Workers and Managing App-Based Surveillance

Gig Workers and Managing App-Based Surveillance

Time Won’t Give Me Time: Intersections of Racialized and Gendered Organization of Work in Tech

Abstract Drawing on theories of gendered and racialized organizations and research on racialization and citizenship, we weave together an intersectional understanding of gendered racial meaning making in tech work. We focus on workers’ control over time, an important point of overlap between gendered and racialized organizations theories. Based on interviews with 85 tech workers who are either U.S. workers or Indian men in the United States with temporary non-immigrant visas (primarily H-1B visas), we examine the organization of work for tech workers with and without visa restrictions, focusing on control over time. We find that permanent U.S. engineers, mostly men, have considerably more control than Indian temporary workers, who have virtually none. U.S. managers have the most control, but because of the perception that they trade schedule control for less technical work, this work is feminized and devalued among engineers. Together, these conditions help to create a lower status, feminized managerial track and lower status, racialized but masculine technical track drafting the Indian workers in racially subordinated masculinity while preserving agency over time and status for technical workers with permanent legal status. These findings allow us to offer an intersectionally grounded revision of the abstract ideal worker concept.

Price Too High: Injury and Assault Among Delivery Gig Workers in New York City

Price Too High: Injury and Assault Among Delivery Gig Workers in New York City

Improving Identification of Gig Workers in National Health and Behavior Surveys.

This paper describes the work-related information collected in several important U.S. national health and behavior surveys, to highlight data gaps that prevent identifying responses by vulnerable workers in the gig economy, with emphasis on the growing digital platform sector of the work force. The national information systems used to understand health status and health behaviors, including drug use, rely on outdated census categories for self-employed workers. This paper describes the importance of understanding the needs of this growing part of the labor sector and describes how some of the most well-known and utilized national surveys fail to meet this need. For the agencies conducting national health and behavior surveys, we propose revisions to the categories used to classify type of worker and recommend adoption of a new Worker-Employer Relationship Classification model.

Теоретические аспекты временного перевода футболиста к другому работодателю

The article is devoted to the study of theoretical issues of temporary transfer of a football player to another employer, which is considered by the author through the prism of three interrelated relationships: between a football player and an employer at the place of main work, between a football player and an employer at the place of temporary work, between an employer at the place of main work and an employer at the place of temporary work. The analysis of the correlation of the terms «temporary transfer to another «employer» and «transfer on the terms of «lease» was carried out, according to the results of which it was revealed that temporary transfer in its legal content is one of the varieties of sports «lease». Special attention is paid to the norm fixed in paragraph 1 of Article 348.4 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, linking the temporary transfer to another employer with the employee's lack of opportunity to participate in competitions. The author believes that this provision contradicts the normative legal meaning of temporary transfer and the established practice of football labor relations and is therefore subject to exclusion from the legislation.

Antinomies of the gig economy: The annihilation of space by time or the annihilation of time by space?

AbstractThis paper concerns migrants in Sweden working in various types of on and offline gig work. It explores how the temporal and spatial flexibility afforded to gig customers is predicated on temporal and spatial inflexibility for workers. The argument moves discussions beyond relational space by promoting a more fully dialectical view of space that understands it as simultaneously relational, relative, and absolute. Without such a view of space—which understands that space is not always open and fluid but just as often closed and fixed—it is impossible to understand the specific relations of labour that structure gig work, particularly offline gig work in such ways as to provide maximal flexibility for customers. This paper shows that the Marxian adage concerning how, in capitalism, space is annihilated by time, does not always hold. For workers doing cleaning and delivery gig work, the converse is oftentimes truer: time is annihilated by space. Gig workers—and even more so migrant gig workers crowded in the above‐mentioned industries—experience the annihilation of time by space through the dual mandate that they must be available “just‐in‐time” and “just‐in‐place” to produce the spatiotemporal flexibility upon which the gig companies base their model and their success.

Immigration regulations as frame of reference: trade-off between precarious employment and precarious legal status among US student-migrant-workers

ABSTRACT Although ‘student-migrant-workers’ is increasingly recognised as an important subcategory of temporary, high-skilled and ‘backdoor’ migrants, research on this group and their participation in the labour market, especially their entering precarious employment, remains limited. Using in-depth interview data with participants in the US F-1 OPT program, a type of post-graduation work permit, this study explores why many student visa holders enter temporary agency work, a precarious employment form. Findings suggest that student-migrant-workers make employment choices within the frame of reference of immigration regulations, weighing their labour market disadvantages against these regulations’ restrictions and offered opportunities. Despite the inherent employment precariousness of temporary agency work, student-migrant-workers find them a viable solution for managing their precarious legal status and the unfavourable labour market position. The employment has the potential to facilitate maintaining their legal residence, extending work authorisations and transitioning to a ‘front door’ entry.

Role of Gig Economy Participation in Shaping Worker Economic Security in Indonesia

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the role of gig economy participation in shaping worker economic security in Indonesia. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: In Indonesia, gig economy participation offers flexibility and additional income, aiding financial stability for many workers. However, it also introduces challenges such as income instability, lack of social protections, and limited access to benefits. This situation can lead to significant economic insecurity, especially during downturns. While gig work provides opportunities, it highlights the need for enhanced labor policies and social protections to improve economic security for gig workers. Policymakers should address these issues to better integrate gig workers into social safety nets and ensure fair labor practices. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Theory of job demands-resources (JD-R), social protection theory & human capital theory may be used to anchor future studies on analyze the gender inequality in the workplace in Japan. Employers and gig platforms should create and integrate financial planning tools and resources specifically designed for gig workers. To address the economic insecurity faced by gig workers, policymakers should implement portable benefits systems that can be carried across various gig jobs.