Acts of Combination: When platform work really is a side hustle

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of gig economy workers who are engaged in gig work and another form of income generation. In doing so, it examines how, where and why these workers choose to work gig jobs alongside other work, with varying levels of choice (McDowell, 2015) framed by workers life circumstances (Dutta, 2016). The data is drawn from semi-structured interviews (n=48), repeated at 3-month intervals, with workers in three segments of the gig economy; rideshare, couriering and work on marketplace platforms. The paper will present a typology of these workers which combines their labour market objectives (Carswell & de Neve, 2013), the nature of their other income sources and their life circumstances (Dutta, 2016). In doing so, it will attempt to connect to ideas of flexibility and precarity, as well as advancing theories of 'cross firm worker agency' as a way of navigating work and working life with limited employee voice (James & Vira, 2013).

About the speaker

Dr Tom Barratt is a Senior Lecturer and DECRA Fellow at the University of Western Australia Business School. His work as a labour geographer considers the importance of how, where and when workers work, and how this shapes the experience of work and the places in which work does, or doesn't, take place. Empirically, his work has considered working in the gig economy and in peripheral, extractive regions. He has published in highly ranked journals and is a frequent contributor to both public policy and media debates.