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Who Benefits from Online Gig Economy Platforms?

Author

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  • Christopher T. Stanton
  • Catherine Thomas

Abstract

This paper estimates the magnitude and distribution of surplus from the knowledge worker gig economy using data from an online labor market. Labor demand elasticities determine workers’ wages, and buyers’ past market experience shapes both their job posting frequency and hiring rates. We find that workers on the supply side capture around 40% of the surplus from filled jobs. Under counterfactual policies that resemble traditional employment regulation, buyers post fewer online jobs and fill posted jobs less often, reducing expected surplus for all market participants. We find negligible substitution on the demand side between online and offline jobs by assessing how changes in local offline minimum wages affect online hiring. The results suggest that neither online or offline knowledge workers will benefit from applying traditional employment regulation to the online gig economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher T. Stanton & Catherine Thomas, 2021. "Who Benefits from Online Gig Economy Platforms?," NBER Working Papers 29477, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29477
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J8 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards
    • L24 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Contracting Out; Joint Ventures
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics

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