Online labour markets: an inquiry into oDesk providers

Abstract

This study is an institutional ethnography of oDesk workers. The research makes use of an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to identify the ways in which the oDesk platform functions as the medium and expression of the activities of online workers. I analyse the marketplace along the structural dimensions of visibility, community, and economics and conclude by arguing that these structures are recursively ordered through various activities occurring as part of the contingent reproduction of the oDesk Marketplace.

Effective? Ethical? Behavior Control & Algorithmic Management in Virtual Environments

“…These workers managed to find some sort of sustainable income from the platform. The same survey found being able to work from home as another major advantage [18]. Upwork emphasizes the flexibility of being able to work from wherever they want however they want to gain new workers [33].…”

“…Both providers and workers agree on a payment rate and process all payments through the platform, where a 10 percent fee is charged [18]. Both freelancers and work providers were attracted to the platform, oDesk partnered with large companies such as Yahoo, Facebook and Sun Microsystems [18].…”

“…Perhaps the biggest reason oDesk attracted a large number of freelancers is that it accessed a global pool, allowing for the creation of decentralized task-based teams of workers. ODesk provided the needed tools for project managers to mobilize workers in over 50 countries [18]. In 2015 oDesk merged with its biggest competitor to create an even larger company, Upwork [32].…”

“…They stress that each year their freelancers earn over $1 billion in a workplace that is personally and professionally rewarding for anyone with the proper skill set and a reliable internet connection [33]. In a survey of workers on the platform 47.3 percent of respondents stated Upwork is their primary source of income [18]. These workers managed to find some sort of sustainable income from the platform.…”

“…Upwork is not a labor service company, but a technology company that provides the creation and maintenance of an online marketplace [18]. To join the platform users must agree to the user agreement.…”