Digital Mobility Platforms: Alternative Paths for Labor And Income

Abstract

By enabling new business models, digital platforms are transforming traditional economy and generating a multitude of discussions around the globe. Changes experienced by technological advances are being discussed by governments, private sector and especially by the academic field. One of the biggest impacts related to the phenomenon concerns transformation of labor relations. This article aims to discuss these relationships through an exploratory research of qualitative nature coupled with the application of participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Nine mobility application drivers from the greater São Paulo (Brasil) region participated in the study. One of the main findings is that drivers find in these applications a more interesting work opportunity than in formal markets. For the sampled interviewees, the ratio of earnings from the platforms is four times greater than the salaries they used to receive in their former jobs. These findings cannot be generalized, but they corroborate a view of applications as an alternative for labor and income aligned with macro changes happening that impact labor relationships.