Digital labour platforms and its effects on health and well-being: a mixed-method project of gig workers in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Platform work takes place via and on digital labour platforms. It can be classified into two categories depending whether work is performed online or at a specific physical location. Surprisingly, the health implications of platform work have remained largely unstudied, despite large public interest.

It is unclear if all types of platform work could be health damaging, and through which mechanisms they may affect the health.OBJECTIVES: We aim to (a) investigate whether different types of platform work are associated with various health outcomes (b) identify mechanisms through which types of platform work affect health and well-being and (c) propose recommendations for improving platform workers job conditions, health and well-being.METHODS: This will be a mixed-method study, where the qualitative part informs the quantitative part for building the first ever cohort of platform workers with a focus on work environment and health.

First, we will conduct a photovoice study among platform workers in Stockholm in 2022.

The study will provide information on the perceived mechanisms underlying the relationship between being a platform worker and well-being and propose recommendations to address them. These results will subsequently guide an open cohort study of newly registered workers on the Appjobs platform. We will recruit 3000 workers in 2023-2024 and follow up them during 6-12 months.

Individuals will complete online questionnaires on a monthly basis.

The research group is multidisciplinary and led by Karolinska Institute in collaboration with Oxford University (UK), Johns Hopkins University and City University of New York (US), University of Alcalá (ES), Toronto University (CA).RESULTS: Results of this study will provide novel information of an understudied evolving challenge for the world of occupational health.

Findings will be used as guidance for policy makers, companies and unions in order to protect the health and well-being of their workers.