next economy

Publication

Size of Germany's "Gig Economy" revealed for the first time

Author: Simon Joyce, Ursula Huws

• digital economy
• gig economy
• social rights
• germany
• employment

Research by the University of Hertfordshire and Ipsos MORI, in association with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), UNI Europa, Ver.di, and IG Metall has revealed the true size of the German ‘gig economy’. It confirms once more that working in the gig economy has become a reality for many people today.

•        22% of survey respondents in Germany have tried to find work via online platforms during the past year
•        4% of respondents said they have managed to find work in this way at least once a week
•        17% of crowd workers are over 55, compared with 20% who are under 24 years old – the majority represents the 25-35 age group

The study shows an overall attitude shift: crowd workers do not, or cannot, restrict themselves to a single type of work but offer to provide several kinds of service, with an extremely broad range, from high-skill professional work at one extreme, to running errands at the other. The overall picture emerging is showing a new group of workers trying to piece together a livelihood from a range of different tasks.

Check the survey

Read the press release (EN) 

Read the press release (DE)