Delivery workers with app-based firms in South Korea launched their own labor union, named the Rider Union, on May 1, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Very widely used mobile app services are based on so-called “platform labor,” or new forms of labor that are traded like products based on information and communication technology (ICT) platforms.
However, the public’s awareness of platform labor is significantly low.
According to a survey of 1,000 citizens conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, 86.9 percent said they have used more than one of the platform companies’ services, including the popular delivery apps like Baedal Minjeok and Yogiyo.
However, 57.7 percent of respondents said they had never heard of platform labor, while 33 percent said they had heard of platform labor, but did not know exactly what it was. This clearly indicates the low awareness of the public.
In response, the city said, “Citizens are using these services in real life, but they do not seem to recognize them as platform labor, which means that more active social discussion is necessary.”
However, most of the survey participants, or 90.1 percent, agreed with the prediction that such services and labor patterns will increase.
The need for the discussion and guidelines regarding platform work and the need for social protection was agreed upon by 93.2 percent of the participants.
Platform work and the need for social protection for the discussion and guidelines of the response was 93.2 per cent.
This is especially true even among the 131 respondents who said they had never used platform services. More than 80 percent said they needed to discuss and come up with guidelines for platform labor.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
