DIMITRIADIS IRAKLIS

Informal economic practices have traditionally prevailed in the delivery services, domestic work and transportation sectors. Although the rise of digital economy implies the formalisation of riders, domestic workers and taxi drivers who were largely engaged in the informal realm of the economy, recent studies reveal that platform labour is still characterised by non-standard forms of employment. Therefore, the research project I am working on aims to explore the impact of digital labour platforms on workers whose employment has been characterised by informality in traditional labour markets. Drawing upon primary data that will be primarily collected through in-depth interviews with platform workers and stakeholders (e.g., unionists, platform providers) and secondary data, it will investigate how digital economy informs the continuum between the formal and informal realm of economy, and how workers represent their participation in platform work. Empirical material will be collected in Milan, as this city is considered a prominent tech hub with a variety of gig and sharing economy platforms. The project aims to contribute to the debate on platform workers’ conditions and agency in developed countries, by engaging in dialogue with ongoing and already published studies. A comparative perspective across contexts characterised by different socio-economic, institutional and normative characteristics is expected to offer interesting insights on the topic of informal economy within platform work.