The effect of gig economy work on workers' financial (in)security and the mediating role of social security systems

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Receive a request for a job through your phone, perform the task using your own facilities and get paid. This type of 'gig work' is regarded as the model of work for the future, but it is already experienced by many workers using the popular platforms of Uber and Deliveroo. Gig economy work blurs the division between employed and self-employed work, with gig economy workers being classified as self-employed and therefore being unable to access forms of state support available to employed individuals. This project explores the effects of gig economy workers' labour market conditions on their financial (in)security, and it investigates the role of social security provisions in Italy, Sweden and the UK. The proposed project originally situates the study of the gig economy within broader debates on the rise of precarity at work and the changing role of the welfare state in European societies. The project comes at a very timely moment given the current numerous national and European policy initiatives that discuss the gaps in state support for gig economy workers (e.g. from the European and the UK Parliaments), as well as the national protests of union workers occurring in the UK and across Europe.There are two broad narratives regarding the gig economy. The first sees the gig economy as an innovative and flexible model of work, given its capacity for allowing choice and autonomous work patterns and for giving workers the chance to top up their income. The second narrative underlines the negative effects of gig economy work on the financial lives of workers. Existing studies tend, however, to neglect the links between the work conditions and financial lives of gig economy workers. In order to investigate this issue, this project proposes to examine the real-life experiences of gig economy workers and understand both their motivations for engaging in gig economy work and the financial implications of gig economy work. Importantly, the study explores this issue by considering how the state and other forms of social protection influence workers' financial conditions.The project will consist of a qualitative research of three case studies (Italy, Sweden and the UK) where there has been a reported rise in gig economy activity. This comparison allows to find commonalities and differences in the financial experiences of gig economy workers across Europe, as well as to appreciate the intervening role of social security systems. This research will be methodologically cutting-edge due to its capacity of comparing European countries and its combination of different qualitative techniques, including policy analysis, face-to-face interviews and the use of an app to recruit participants and gathering gig workers' experiences.The research will produce a minimum of two articles and a book to advance the academic understanding of gig economy work. This research project also aims to deliver societal impact in two areas: firstly, by offering new evidence to inform the policy debate on the social security protection measures for gig economy workers; and, secondly, by offering empirical material on the gig economy to a public debate that has been very interested in the topic, but has limited evidence from social research. The research will be informed by an Advisory Board composed of policymakers, organisations, unions, journalists and other relevant stakeholders. A policy briefing and two events in London and Brussels will be organised for policy stakeholders. The research will also produce several outputs for the wider public (such as those engaged in precarious work and members of the public interested in this topical issue): two videos, blog posts, an accessible publication and a number of interventions in the media. Overall, this research will contribute to the public understanding of the implications of gig economy work and of the possibilities to update state policies to respond to the emerging features of work.