Operational Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic - SDT Discussion Paper Nr. 1

The most important thing in brief:

The business outlook for 2022 is assessed as positive by companies in the manufacturing sector compared to 2021.
In view of the pandemic situation, 10% of companies are facing a significant threat to their existence, especially smaller companies.
Although smaller companies are more threatened in their existence, adjustments to corporate strategies are not more frequent. Insourcing - as a possible strategic action - is motivated in about 17% of cases by the consequences of the pandemic (such as supply bottlenecks).
There were hardly any adjustments to the workforce in 2021. Only just under 11% of companies reported a reduction in the number of permanent employees, and just under 25% of reduced staff from the fringe workforce (mini-jobs, temporary work, work contracts). Fringe workers apparently act as a buffer for flexibility.
17% of users of short-time work reduced staff from the core workforce due to the pandemic, 27% did so from the peripheral workforce. In existential cases, Kurz arbeit and staff reductions are used as complementary strategies

Read more here Corona Im Vg-studie 07-2022

A Glimpse Behind the (Pay-)Wall - SDT Discussion Paper Nr. 2

In the last three decades, digitalisation has not only contributed to a change in the organisation of sexual services, but also to the rise of platform-mediated sex work. Despite their relevance for sexual services, online platforms remain largely unnoticed by German sex work research. Therefore, this bachelor thesis focuses on the impact of the digitalisation and the platform economy on the working conditions of sex workers. Drawing on international research and using the example of content creators on OnlyFans, the working conditions are first presented and then analysed with a special focus on flexibilisation, dissolution of labour boundaries, and social risks. It becomes apparent that employment on an online sex work platform goes hand in hand with expanded scope of actions as well as new virtual dangers. On OnlyFans, a new level of emotional and relational work seems to be particularly important for the success of the sex workers. By combining research lines from the sociology of labour with findings from international research on digital sex work, this paper provides a starting point for further investigations by German researchers. Keywords: Sex work, digitalization, internet, Onlyfans, platform work, interactive work, emotional labour, dissolution of labour boundaries, flexibilisation, subjectification of wor

Read more here A Glimpse Behind the (Pay-)Wall

What Shapes Work on Online Labour Markets? A Systematic Literature Review- SDT Discussion Paper Nr. 3

This discussion paper analyses work on online labour markets and digital platforms using a systematic literature review and qualitative content analysis. Given a growing body of literature, the aim is to systematise the features and antecedents of platform work. To this end, 235 publications published between 2010 and 2020 are examined to pursue the following research questions: which dimensions of work are addressed by current studies? Which actors and institutions shape work, and in which ways? The article analyses the state of research on the factors influencing platform-based work and identifies causal relations as well as research desiderata. It offers a heuristic that systematises existing research results and relates them to each other. The findings show that platforms (as technical and organisational systems), customers and crowd work communities have a decisive influence on various aspects of work. The study contributes to a better theoretical understanding of platform labour

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