Has the coronavirus crisis made us all crowdworkers?

Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training - 12/05/2020

With online working/teleworking on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic, companies are beginning to realise the potential of a digital labour force. Can we return to regular work patterns after the crisis or are we looking at a future as crowdworkers?

Challenges crowdworkers face

Based on recent estimates from the JRC Colleem survey, some 14 million European citizens depend heavily on online platform work to earn a living. When work is abundant, and the economy is booming, crowdworkers have more leverage to adjust their gigs and working arrangements, including choosing projects that may augment their skills.

The coronavirus pandemic changed that overnight. As most businesses across Europe struggle with revenue loss and seek ways to cut down costs, job opportunities for crowdworkers are dwindling. In contrast, offline gig workers (e.g. delivery workers) have seen a sharp rise in their workload during the pandemic, along with increased exposure to danger as they have to continue delivering goods and services.

More information