Measuring job quality of urban gig workers in Brussels. Construction of an empirical research instrument

Research description

The digitalisation of labour markets has led to new business models that aim to be more flexible and cost-efficient by creating online platforms that match supply and demand. These platforms do not operate as traditional employers, but instead hire large numbers of independent contractors, who perform demarcated tasks for a defined time. In this flexible, (skills-)demanding, fast-changing labour markets, guaranteeing high-quality employment presents a challenge. This challenge not only applies to the job content, but also to the very concepts and instruments that can be used to assess the job quality of gig workers. In this study, we will therefore construct and validate a research instrument for job quality among Brussels gig workers in four sectors (urban food delivery, care work, handyman services and the cultural event sector). We aim to address three challenges: changing employment relations, heterogeneity in economic dependency, and a policy framework that is not adapted to these jobs. The objective of this project is therefore twofold: 1) Conceptual – evaluating the dimensions that a job quality approach for urban gig work should contain, based on the challenges outlined above; and 2) Operational – translating these dimensions into a measurement tool.