When domestic service enters the platform economy: An analysis of challenges and opportunities in Argentina

PEREYRA, FRANCISCA; POBLETE, LORENA; TIZZIANI, ANIA; POGGI, CECILIA

Ginebra

Congreso; 30th IAFFE Annual Conference; 2022

International Association for Feminist Economics

In Argentina, as in the rest of Latin America, domestic service constitutes an utmost important source of female employment. However, it is also a highly precarious occupation where informality tends to prevail. The lack of registration has especially impacted this sector during the Covid-19 crisis, mainly through massive job losses. In this context, the platform economy has slowly but steadily expanded in the domestic work sector – both in Argentina and in the region in general-. The presentation deals with the effect of platform labour on this traditionally relegated activity, paying particular attention to opportunities and challenges for workers involved.The universe of digital platforms in the domestic service sector is heterogeneous - with varying business models - and, therefore, its effects on workers are dissimilar. This diversity of experiences has received some scholar attention in developed countries but still remains understudied in Latin America. The study aims to contribute in this respect, by analysing the case of Zolvers, the only digital platform for domestic workers in the Argentina which connects workers with employers (for covering salaried job positions). It uses both in-depth interviews and a survey with platform domestic workers collected between July 2020 and March 2021 in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area.Firstly, the analysis compares the relatively high levels of registered contracts attained by the platform to those of the sector in general. The article delves into the reasons behind this phenomenon, which are strongly associated with the company’s business model, paying attention to how workers experience the situation. The analysis also considers the role that registration played amidst the onset of the pandemic in terms of job stability. Secondly, the presentation weights the pros and cons of the fragmentation of work schedules propitiated by the platform through its offer of short-hours jobs. Thirdly, it explores the ambiguous effects of this platform’s opaque scoring mechanism. The article concludes with some reflections on the needs for regulation observed for this type of labour modality, while pointing out some good practices that could be replicated by other platforms and intermediaries in the sector.