Work from home

Issues of fair wages and fringe benefits affect the digital economy similarly as they exist under non-digital economy


Editorial February 25, 2021

During the long-persisting coronavirus pandemic, digital platforms have enabled workers to work from home, thus saving them from being idlers. The internet revolution has played a significant role in mitigating the economic impact of the novel coronavirus, as now a great many people are earning their livelihood by working from home through the net. The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a strong catalyst in bringing about the shift to a digital economy, which has resulted in new ways of organising and regulating work. Moreover, digital platforms have provided opportunities to disabled workers living in places distant from the workplace.

However, issues of fair wages and fringe benefits affect the digital economy in the same way as these exist under the non-digital economy. Since the new system has not long been on the scene, it remains to be decided how workers’ rights should be protected. An International Labour Organisation study has revealed some disquieting facts, such as online workers don’t have access to employment benefits like traditional workers, and in many cases the former are paid inadequately. Most digital platforms categorise workers as independent contractors and they have to work under the terms and conditions of the employers. There is nothing surprising in this considering that under contract laws, one party has more rights than the other. These are, however, teething troubles that online workers are facing, and can well be solved through the cooperation of all concerned. Things would settle with demands of the times.

There are inequities in the platform economy like those in the traditional economy. The study shows that workers in developing countries earn 60% less than their counterparts in the developed world for identical tasks. Paradoxically, 70% cab drivers are experiencing a sharp decline in their earnings after platforms arrived on the market. There is both excitement and boredom in working from home. One avoids the company of disagreeable people but, at the same time, longs for being among decent humans.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2021.

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