New Forms of Work, Old Forms of Exploitation: An Analysis of Tunisia's Platform and Informal Economies

Abstract

Tunisia, like the majority of developing countries, is experiencing an expansion of informality, both in the number of people employed and in terms of the number of informal sectors. The platform economy is one of these areas of expansion in the informal economy. Informal work is generally characterized by a lack of social protection; undefined workplaces; indecent working conditions; low-skill work; irregular incomes; and difficult access to finance, training, and government benefits. Despite sharing high rates of informality as characterized by lack of formal registration, the platform economy may not necessarily have many other characteristics in common with the traditional informal economy. Given its relative novelty, work in the sector may present new challenges in terms of rights and protections but also may provide new opportunities in terms of employment and income. To address these possibilities, our study aims to better understand the social and economic situation of informal workers in the platform economy.