Exploring labour transformations in platform work through the lens of informal work: a new framework of analysis

Abstract

Purpose In this article, we aim to propose a new analytical framework for examining (in)formal work and its transformations induced by digital labour platforms (DLPs). The article also introduces the special issue on the entrenchment between DLPs and informal work. Design/methodology/approach We reconstruct the key theoretical frameworks and concepts used in recent research addressing precarization, casualization and informalization effects of DLPs on work, and we reflect on how the debate on informal economy and work can advance understandings on platform work, and how research on DLPs can contributes to the debate on the informal economy, informal work and hybridization of work. Findings The analytical framework consists of four core principles that, in our opinion, should always be present in the analysis of platform work and informal work: (1) the need to move beyond the binary distinction between formal and informal work by adopting a hybridization-of-work perspective; (2) the importance of clarifying how informality is defined; (3) the need to consider informal work as an integral component of broader labour transformations; and (4) the importance of fostering dialogue between the global North and the global South. We also identify three central dimensions of analysis: the individual perspective, the relational dynamics and the role of institutions in shaping informality. While each of these dimensions offers valuable insights on its own, it is crucial to take into account how they interact. Originality/value The proposed framework aims to advance the understanding of the erosion of standard employment, the changes in the informal work and its relations with the formal parts, moving beyond the dominant narratives of precarization and informalization that prevail in much of the existing literature.