Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

Labor platform work has expanded in Japan since COVID-19, including both low- and high-skill jobs. Based on survey data from over 7,000 freelancers and interviews, this report shows that platforms are chosen not only for flexibility but also as a means to avoid unequal power relations with clients.

Paper long abstract

Work mediated through labor platforms has been expanding in recent years. Although the number of people working as freelancers or solo self-employed has itself been increasing, it is widely argued that labor platforms have played a particularly important role in this recent expansion. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of platform-based work has become especially visible in occupations such as food delivery, including Uber Eats couriers. At the same time, there are reports that platform-mediated work has also expanded into occupations requiring relatively high skill levels.

Freelance work and labor mediated through platforms are often described as new forms of work that allow individuals to choose their working time and location with relative freedom, thereby improving work–life balance. However, beyond these commonly cited advantages, there is another major factor driving the expansion of platform-based labor: the avoidance of unequal power relationships with work providers in negotiations over wages and work content.

This report aims to clarify why certain freelancers, in particular, choose to work via labor platforms. To this end, we analyze original survey data from a sample of more than 7,000 freelancers and solo self-employed workers, including platform workers, and conduct interviews with platform workers. The analysis reveals that workers’ autonomy is closely related to who their contracting partners are and how transactions are mediated, and that this relationship constitutes an important reason for using labor platforms.

For example, when comparing cases in which the contracting partner is a former employer with cases in which labor platforms are used, the former tend to be more advantageous economically. However, the latter are associated with a relatively higher degree of autonomy in the relationship with the contracting party. Platform workers in Japan tend to avoid unequal power relationships by interposing an impersonal third party between themselves and their clients. The interview findings support this interpretation. The expansion of labor platforms in Japan can thus be largely attributed to their function as a safe haven that enables workers to avoid unfavorable power relationships.