Digital platform work in Australia: Preliminary findings from a national survey

Abstract

Digital platforms such as Airtasker, Uber or Freelancer can connect workers with individuals or businesses looking to obtain services of various kinds on demand. There has been much debate about ‘gig work’ of this kind, but little data on its prevalence in Australia. This report presents preliminary findings from a national survey that was commissioned by the Victorian Government to address that gap. The survey, which elicited more than 14,000 usable responses, explored the prevalence and characteristics of digital platform work in Australia to gain insight into the characteristics and experiences of those participating in such work, and understand the extent to which they combine digital platform work with other forms of paid work. After screening for duplicate and unreliable responses, the sample was representative of the Australian population by age, gender and State/Territory.