In August 2022, the scientific journal Industrial Relations (A Jurnal of Economy and Society) published the article “Informalization in digital food delivery in the UK: the case of hyper-flexible work”. Industrial Relations is devoted to the consequences that industry, production and various types of services have on the relationships and living conditions of society.
In the article, a team of scientists (Pedro Mendonça, Nadia K. Kougiannou, Ian Clark) analyzes the process of deformalization of work in Internet Platforms in the UK. They show how Platforms have created a new model of relations between employee and employer, leading to the creation of a “hyperflexible” model. Based on qualitative data, the article analyzes the reasons for choosing such working conditions. They emphasize that the system relies on undocumented migrants. They describe how Internet Platforms will enable people in such life situations to take up work (ultra liberal practices and modern technology in HR).
The picture is complemented by an analysis of how Online Platforms enable the creation of informal labor markets and contribute to the spread of extremely precarious working conditions.
full text: https://doi.org/10.1111/irel.12320