Seher Shafiq’s Post

Edited by Murali Shanmugavelan and Aiha Nguyen, The Formalization of Social Precarities explores platformization from the point of view of precarious gig workers in the Majority World. In countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, and India — which reinforce social hierarchies via gender, race, and caste — precarious workers are often the most marginalized members of society. Labor platforms made familiar promises to workers in these countries: work would be democratized, and people would have the opportunity to be their own boss. Yet even as platforms have upended the legal relationship between worker and employer, they have leaned into social structures to keep workers precarious — and in fact formalized those social precarities through surveillance and data collection. https://lnkd.in/eMBHRNyh

How can you empower Israeli women in need during these challenging days? In short, we create jobs for women in the geographic and social peripheries of Israel. We've been doing it since 2012, and we need your help today more than ever!  No donations are needed, but you can help by hiring us - if you are an enterprise or an executive in need of Admin/Finance/HR support, please get in touch with us! This will allow us to pay salaries to our amazing team of wonder women and expand it! Please get in touch with Mor Savion @ https://did.li/VKZNf And now for the longer version: In these uncertain times, a stable workplace and employment provide livelihood and hope  Since 2012 Metaktekot has provided operations management, administration, and back-office services for entrepreneurs, enterprises, and leading global startups. Metaktekot's mission has always been to create quality jobs for women in the geographic and social peripheries of Israel. Now, this mission is more important than ever, as many people's world has fallen apart.  Metaktekot employs dozens of women, in a remote employment model, which allows our talented team to manage clients' operations in the safety of their homes or shelters, anywhere in Isarel - from the Golan Heights in the north to Ashkelonn and the Gaza envelope in the south. We have been working tirelessly since Oct 7th on keeping our existing team intact and potentially expanding it, as many displaced talented women would like to join us. If you're an enterprise, a startup, a Hi-Tech company or an entrepreneur, and you need best-in-class operations management / PA services - this is your chance to support the creation of job opportunities in Israel, for those who need it most right now. Our onboarding process, which includes SaaS platforms setup and automation processes, will now be free for new clients. We look forward to hearing from you!  Please get in touch with us on WhatsApp: https://did.li/VKZNf Mor Savion, CEO For more information: https://metaktekot.com/ 

Let's delve into why an increasing number of individuals in Singapore are embracing the gig economy, particularly within the blue-collar sector. With a shifting economic mindset, many millennials are gravitating towards gig work for various reasons, including bridging gaps between different jobs and finding a lifestyle-compatible source of income. As Singapore's gig economy expands, it becomes crucial to create an ecosystem that nurtures the growth of blue-collar gig workers. Building strong communities tailored to their needs becomes an essential part of an integrated approach, streamlining the discovery and deployment of these workers. #gigworkers #jobapp #community

New research reveals that constant experimentation in the gig economy might be negatively impacting workers, eroding their sense of autonomy. Experiments on platforms like Uber or LinkedIn, conducted without the knowledge or consent of workers, highlight a concerning trend in digital labor platforms. As per the study conducted by Hatim A. Rahman, Tim Weiss, and Arvind Karunakaran, these platforms have transitioned through three phases of experimentation - explicit, concealed, and unbounded - each with significant implications on worker autonomy and trust. It's time for us to question if we want to be a society where such experimentation becomes the norm. It’s time to draw from areas like medicine and academia, ensuring informed consent and better transparency. After all, innovation should not come at the cost of eroding trust and diminishing worker autonomy. #GigEconomy #DigitalPlatforms #WorkerRights #Transparency #InformedConsent “Learned helplessness" might be a fitting term to describe the resigned acceptance observed among workers in the face of unbounded experimentation. Let's remember, innovation and progress should foster empowerment, not helplessness. #gigeconomy #LearnedHelplessness #WorkerEmpowerment #autonomy #workerrights https://lnkd.in/egSa35HH

Remember when landing your first online gig felt like winning the Hunger Games? Information was scarce, opportunities were guarded secrets, and success seemed like luck reserved for the chosen few. I know that feeling. I've lived through the tears and the triumphs, the "Why me?" moments and the "OMG I DID IT!" dances. And through it all, one dream never faded: building a tribe, a digital family where we could unleash the collective power of digital workers like ourselves. Well, that dream just landed! Introducing iWorkers, a social web platform built by and for digital workers like you. A platform where you can connect with like-minded digital talents, discover opportunities, and stay updated on industry trends. Head over to our first blog post, share it with your network, and let's reshape the future of online work together! Shikoh Gitau Teresios Bundi Amb - Prof Bitange Ndemo Lorraine Charles Caroline Njuki Sheena Raikundalia Rachel Muthoga Mutembei Kariuki Gichobi Stanley Babra Chege Patrick Mwangi Karanja Anthony Karanja Kabiru Dr. Ehud Gachugu, PhD.,HSC Muchemi Wambugu, MBS Mark Muriithi Laichena Mark Brian Muiruri #iWorkersKenya #FutureOfWork #KenyaOnline #BuildYourTribe #digitaleconomy #gigeconomy https://lnkd.in/dV4T8z64

I am very happy and proud to announce that Kostas Floros will defend his thesis "Imperfect presents, uncertain futures - Platform housecleaners in the Danish gig economy". The defense is taking place on Monday, April 15th, at 13.00 in Aud 4 at the IT-Universitetet i København Summary of the thesis Digital labor platforms have proliferated worldwide over the last fifteen years, creating what is widely known as the gig economy. The growth of this gig economy has sparked international debates at social, regulatory, and academic level in relation to (mis)classification of employment relations and algorithmic management of workers. The Danish gig economy is a remarkable case within this global setting, due to several particularities of the Danish social, political and economic environment. This thesis is a case study that engages with the phenomenon of housecleaning platform labor in Denmark, analyzing it as an outcome simultaneously shaped by three different factors: a) workers’ livelihood strategies, b) platforms’ affordances and performative aspects, and c) policymaking and regulations on labor market, welfare and migration issues. Research on domestic work and housecleaning platforms has been explored less intensively compared with other platforms. The invisibility of platform housecleaners in the public sphere creates practical and methodological obstacles to conducting fieldwork. The relative absence of platform housecleaners’ experiences and practices in international literature is therefore a subject I address while bringing cleaners’ voices to the forefront of debates on platform work in Denmark. This thesis adds new insight to the literature by drawing on twenty-three interviews with – predominantly female and migrant – platform housecleaners, nine interviews with stakeholders, digital ethnography in housecleaners’ social media, policy document analysis and other forms of desk-based research. Platform companies promise unhindered flexibility to cleaners, and platform workers promise themselves that this work will be only temporary. By delving deeper into workers’ practices, I describe the ways in which they resist exploitation by platform companies and customers, and reveal how they navigate restrictive regulatory frameworks, welfare exclusions and minor algorithmic management by platforms. Finally, I examine the role of the Danish state and its institutions over time in promoting platform housecleaning. Despite providing a lifeline for migrants in urgent need of income, platform housecleaning in Denmark exacerbates labor market inequalities and augments insecurities for its workforce. Thus, platform housecleaners experience imperfect presents and uncertain futures. #gigeconomy #platformwok

I am pleased to share CGAP's new insights on Financial Inclusion for Gig Workers on Platforms. Millions of informal workers are joining #gig work platforms across emerging markets, and amidst welcome scrutiny on their working conditions, these #platforms will likely be a significant income source for low-income segments globally. On platforms, gig workers, who are otherwise underserved by for­­­­mal finance, connect to a digital interface, get paid into digital accounts, and generate reams of data on their work. This can open new pathways for their financial inclusion.    To explore this potential, CGAP has just concluded a 3-year initiative of direct research with close to 300 platform workers, five pilot programs that deploy and test financial services with workers on prominent platforms across five countries and convenings with a learning community of 50 executives from some of the leading platforms and #fintech companies in emerging markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America.   Our experience shows that this is an exciting space for innovation and impact, but as our summary note details, this is barely an incipient agenda and funders and the #financialinclusion community must understand the overall state of innovation, the inherent risks, and the roadblocks in the ecosystem to amplify its impact.   CGAP has published three briefs to present a comprehensive state of the innovation and challenges faced by platforms and #financialservices providers in bringing products to market, as well as a focus note on women #gigworkers describing triple barriers to inclusion they face. Our website also contains blogs, videos, and descriptions of successful innovations and examples. Thank you Gayatri Murthy, Malika Anand, Rani Deshpande, Elizabeth Kiamba, Leena Datwani, and Xavier Faz for leading this work.

The global economy is evolving, and the online gig economy, representing up to 12% of the labour market, is reshaping job opportunities, particularly in developing nations. This dynamic sector offers avenues for employment, especially benefiting youth, women, and those in remote areas. It not only provides income during transitions but also fosters digital skills and flexible earning opportunities. To harness the benefits of gig employment, addressing barriers is crucial. Social protection is a key concern, with gig workers facing risks like unstable incomes and poor working conditions. Many lack access to social protection, necessitating innovative approaches to extend coverage. Governments are exploring collaborations and policymaking to ensure social protection and financial security for gig workers. The fast-evolving landscape of gig work presents a viable path out of poverty, offering job opportunities and financial independence. By focusing on digital connectivity, skill-building, and robust social protection, we can empower individuals to thrive in this new world of work. #gigeconomy #WorldBank #platformworkers #gigworkers

Here's a summary of our work on #financialservices for #gigworkers from CGAP's CEO Sophie Sirtaine. It was a great pleasure to work on this topic together with my colleagues Gayatri Murthy Rani Deshpande Malika Anand Leena Datwani under the guidance of Xavier Faz Read more on what it takes bring financial services to gig workers on platforms >>> https://lnkd.in/d3xk4Cag