A list of platform companies that mediate work is available for viewing and complementing for everyone

Lately, the platform economy and work mediated via digital platforms have been the topic of public discussion. In “platform work”, platforms serve as marketplaces for people who perform work and people who buy work performances. However, there are many ways of conceptualizing what platform work is and how it changes work life. (See references). Platforms and their practices change the way work is carried out and organized. That is why researchers, legislators, companies and third-sector actors alike are interested in it.

According to a workforce study by Statistics Finland (2022), about 3.9 % of the population aged from 15 to 64 had done platform work during the last 12 months. Examples of platform work included in the study are selling items and creating content on digital platforms, the two most common types of platform work in the study. Many had received income from platforms that mediate work, especially transport services. For the majority, platform work was a side job or supplementary work (72 %), and most worked through platforms as entrepreneurs (57 %).

The purpose of this list is to survey the field of companies that mediate work in Finland and to identify international platform companies that provide work in Finland. The list is not a comprehensive description of platform work carried out in Finland or its extent. Instead, it is intended to offer information on the types of companies in Finland that mediate platform work and what kind of platform work is performed in Finland.

This survey was started as part of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health’s Fair work on platforms – Reita study.

You are welcome to complement the list!

How are platform companies that mediate work defined? Key aspects include, for example, whether the work carried out in an employment relationship, such as temporary agency work, can be defined as platform work and whether the company can be defined as a platform company if digital platforms are only one of the ways the company uses to mediate gigs. Various temporary work agencies and their client companies use digital platforms to offer gigs or shifts to their employees. It is possible that, as digitalization advances, the line between digital platform companies and other companies that mediate gigs becomes even thinner.

In addition, the organization of work and work mediation through platforms is very diverse, which makes the classification even more difficult. Some platforms are open marketplaces for the exchange of various services, whereas other platforms have more strictly defined work tasks, with algorithmic organisation of work by the platform work company. The organisation of work varies a lot between platform work companies.

In addition, platform work is associated with various crowdsourcing solutions, where it is sometimes unclear whether it is work. One such is the so-called microwork (or clickwork), where short and simple tasks are typical (such as various classification tasks, answering surveys, etc.) for which the compensation paid is very small. In the autumn 2023 update, a few examples of such platforms offering micro-work have been added to the list.

New platform companies are also being established constantly around the world. That is why we would like to invite you to participate in making the list more exhaustive. Jere Immonen has researched the work life effects of the platform economy and digitally organized gigs. If you know of any companies that might match the criteria below but are not included in the list, please submit your proposal to Jere Immonen. We also warmly welcome suggestions on how to improve the list, its criteria and information content. We add companies and modify the list approximately every six months.

Criteria for platform companies included in the list:

1. There must be at least three parties that participate in mediating work: the platform company, the buyer and the party that offers work.
2. The platform company must have a digital platform for mediating and managing gigs, projects or fixed-term employment contracts.
   • In this context, management can refer to digital assessment mechanisms, selecting the party to carry out the work with the help of an algorithm or using the platform for contacting and managing financial transactions.
3. Mediating and managing work must constitute the platform company’s business or a part of it.
   • Mere job-seeking sites do not meet the criteria for managing gigs.
4. The platform companies must be situated between the party that offers work and the buyer.
   • The parties offering work can also be employed by the platform company. For example, temporary work agencies that employ digital platforms to manage the work are included in the list.
   • Anyone can apply to use the platform to offer work. However, the platform company can impose limits on who is listed.
5. The mediated service must be a work performance.
   • Not the sale of goods or rental of an apartment or vehicle.
6. The company or a part of the group of companies must be registered in Finland, the company must have operations specific to Finland or the company must employ Finnish people.

List of platform companies that mediate work

Reference to the Eurofound classification: Typology.

*The Eurofound typology identifies key sectors of platform work and this list mainly complies with that classification. Companies that offer construction and maintenance services are included as their own group due to their great number. In addition, the list includes a separate classification for international freelancer platforms that provide jobs in many different industries on a global scale. In addition to this, from international and national platforms microwork platforms have been separated into their own group, which offer simple assignments with small compensation.