Shows
The Gig Work PodcastLabelling the Future: Kenyan Workers Demand Dignity in AI Supply ChainsEphantus Kanyugi, co-founder of the Data Labelers Association, shares his journey from a finance graduate unable to secure a traditional job in Kenya to working in the digital labor economy. After struggling with informal and low-paid gigs, he joined CloudFactory in 2018 as a data annotator. Despite gaining skills in image, video, and map annotation, the work was unstable, with poor pay, no benefits, and monthly contracts. He later joined Remote Tasks, where initial high earnings declined sharply as tasks became more complex and underpaid. Workers often endured unpaid labor, exploitative surveillance, and lack of basic rights.These...2025-07-1752 min
The Gig Work PodcastThe myth of automation: How AI is and will remain dependent on cheap labourArtificial intelligence (AI) is and will remain dependent on human labour. The people who do the work behind AI systems are often invisible. This carries risks of poor working conditions, low wages and inadequate protection for workers. How does this situation arise, and how can we ensure that the many invisible data workers also benefit from technological developments? For the WageIndicator Foundation's Gig Work Podcast, I (Martijn Arets) spoke with Professor Antonio Casilli (Institut Polytechnique de Paris), author of the book Waiting for Robots, the Hired Hands of Automation.2025-05-211h 33
Digital DominoesThe Hidden Workforce: AI, Platforms, and the Global Labor ShiftIn this episode of Digital Dominoes, we dive deep into the world of AI and the hidden workforce behind it, known as 'ghost workers,' with Martijn Arets. Martijn shares his extensive experience researching the impact of digital platforms and technology on labor over the past 13 years. He discusses the often invisible labor force that supports AI systems, the global perspective on technology’s impact on labor markets, and the significant challenges and ethical considerations these workers face. The conversation also touches on the broader implications of technological advancements on society, regulatory frameworks, and the essential role of awareness an...2025-04-2425 min
The Gig Work PodcastGhostwork: the invisible world of work behind AIThey are invisible, ubiquitous and indispensable for the development of artificial intelligence (AI): ‘ghost workers’. Millions of people worldwide annotate, check and translate texts and images so that AI can understand and process the information. Who are these people and what drives them? What about their well-being? And what impact do their poor working conditions have on the development of AI? To learn more about this, I sat down with researcher Claartje ter Hoeven of Utrecht University for The Gig Work Podcast from the WageIndicator Foundation.2025-03-0450 min
The Gig Work PodcastUnpaid labour in the platform economyTo get a better picture into unpaid labour and the impact work platforms have on it, I went to Leuven to talk to Valeria Pulignano. Under the Respect-Me project, she and her colleagues are researching unpaid work in the platform economy. We discussed unpaid labour, what impact platforms have on it and what the possible solutions are to reduce unpaid labour and the power balance between workers and platforms.Links: Publication page Respect-Me2024-10-1058 min
The Gig Work PodcastSocial Protection in India’s Platform EconomyDiscussions about social security in the platform economy often end up discussing the legal status of workers. The underlying reason is that social security in the Global North is usually heavily tied to employment. What is sometimes forgotten is that in many parts of the world, and mainly in the Global South, this is not the case. Take India, where 78 per cent of the labour market is in the informal sector. How do you organise social securities when there is no dominant form of contract to attach them to? This is the question at the heart of the report ‘Th...2024-09-0442 min
The Gig Work PodcastImpact of the gig economy in IndiaWhat is the impact of platforms in a country like India? During my visit to this exceptionally beautiful country, I struck up a conversation with Varsha Bansal. She is an independent journalist who writes a lot about platform work and the impact of technology on work. In the latest episode of The Gig Work Podcast, I discuss with her the growth and impact of platform work in India, with a particular focus on delivery, taxi and domestic work. 2024-06-2533 min
The Gig Work PodcastIntroducing a Living Tariff for non-contract workersAs a 'non-contract worker', which means you are not an employee and therefore work as a freelancer or in the informal economy, it is difficult to calculate what you should earn per hour to make a decent and liveable living. Because you don't have an employer, you are responsible for including matters such as holiday hours, administration time, pension, insurance and occupation-related costs such as laptops and means of transport in the calculation of your tariff. A tough job in practice.
This is why the WageIndicator Foundation developed the Living Tariff tool. Financial support for...2024-04-2346 min
The Gig Work PodcastFormalizing the informal market in ColombiaIn Colombia, it appears that cooperation between the government and platform entrepreneurs can lead to better working conditions for vulnerable workers. CEO Juan Sebastián Cadavid of domestic cleaning platform Hogarú explains all about it in The Gig Work Podcast.2024-04-2243 min
The Gig Work PodcastA global market for customer service professionalsOnline work via platforms offers many workers around the world access to the labour market. For workers, the world is a potential source of employment, but also a competitor. The extent to which this is an opportunity or a threat depends on the uniqueness of your skills and the skills needed for the job, the balance between supply and demand and, of course, where you live on the globe. When you live in an area where the cost of living is high, you are at a disadvantage compared to those with similar skills living in an area where the...2024-02-1434 min
The Gig Work PodcastFrom Ouishare to WorkerTech: a look back and forward at platforms and the world of workAlbert Cañigueral Bagó is fascinated by technology, platforms and the world of work. How did the sharing and gig economy develop? And what impact does technology have on workers now and in the future? This is what Martijn Arets discusses with him in The Gig Work Podcast.2023-12-1944 min
The Gig Work PodcastImproving working conditions for delivery ridersDelivery riders connected to platform Glovo do not all get employment contracts, but are covered by the 'Couriers Pledge' in 21 countries. With this, the company promises delivery workers safety, community, equality and a fair income. Why, how does it work and what does a platform worker get out of it? Martijn Arets travelled to Barcelona and spoke to Glovo spokesperson Magalí Gurman.2023-11-2944 min
The Gig Work PodcastA level playing field via access to dataBritish tech expert and Uber driver James Farrar has been championing labour rights in the platform economy for eight years. Often successfully. Platform expert Martijn Arets spoke to him on behalf of the WageIndicator Foundation in The Gig Work Podcast about justice, data and the future of platform work. "Our struggle has only just begun," he said.Read a blog on this episode on www.gigpedia.orgThe link to the Harvard paper mentioned by James: https://www.hbs.edu/ris/download.aspx?name=22-050.pdf 2023-09-201h 12
The Gig Work PodcastSuper-apps and green jackets: lessons on the gig economy from IndonesiaSuper-apps like Grab and Gojek are centralising and formalising Indonesia's informal labour market. What problems are associated with this? And what does this teach us about the gig economy worldwide? Martijn Arets explores in The Gig Work Podcast.2023-08-0935 min
The Gig Work PodcastHow and why does the platform worker protest?Do you want to know where, when and how platform workers protest? The Leeds Index of Platform Labour Protest provides answers. In The Gig Work Podcast, Martijn Arets asks the initiators of this project for their key insights for science and practice.More info on the index: https://leeds-index.co.uk/2023-07-1238 min
The Gig Work PodcastHow Fairwork improves working conditions in the platform economyProject Fairwork investigates and assesses working conditions for platform workers in 38 countries. And that's not all: the organisation strives for real change and gets it done. How? That's what Martijn Arets talked about with project manager Funda Ustek Spilda in The Gig Work Podcast of the WageIndicator Foundation.2023-05-2831 min
The Gig Work PodcastBringing transparency in the labour market: WageIndicatorWith the conviction that all workers deserve a fair income under good conditions, the team behind the WageIndicator Foundation has been working for almost 25 years to bring more transparency to workers, employers and policymakers worldwide.
For this episode, I headed to Bussum to talk to Paulien Osse, co-founder of this initiative. We discuss the story behind WageIndocator, data collection in 200 countries, the gig economy and the global debate. To conclude with a personal look back and forward.
You can find more podcasts, articles and a weekly newsletter on 'global...2023-04-2443 min
The Gig Work PodcastA code of conduct for the gig economy: Crowdsourcing CodeHow can gig economy platforms improve their business for the worker? In this episode, I talk to Markus Steinhauser, COO of crowdwork platform Testbirds. In 2015, he initiated the Crowdsourcing Code: a 'code of conduct' signed by 8 crowdwork platforms and backed by a union. At his office in Munich, I talk to Markus about the reason, the rollout, the results, the opportunities as well as the challenges of this initiative. You can find more podcasts, articles and a weekly newsletter on 'global issues in the gig economy' at www.gigpedia.org2023-03-0227 min