Autonomy and Control in the Gig Economy and Platform Work: Domestic and Home Repair Workers in Turkey

Abstract

The rise of digital labour platforms and the gig economy has provoked debate among scholars and policymakers. Some emphasize the platforms' contribution to efficient labour processes by facilitating transactions between customers and service providers. In contrast, others highlight the precarity of gig work in platforms and call for greater regulation of the platform economy. This article reports a field study on the experience of Turkish platform workers in the domestic work and home repair sectors, focusing on the growing platform Armut. The impact of the platform economy on labour processes is explored, with particular attention to the concepts of autonomy and control with reference to alternative perspectives on labour platforms and the gig economy.