Towards Decent Work On Online Labour Platforms: Implications Of Working Conditions In Online Freelance Work On The Well being Of Youths In Nairobi County

Abstract

This research examined the implication of the working conditions in online freelance work on the wellbeing of youths working on online labour platforms in Nairobi County. In doing so, it examined the characteristics of these youths and their working conditions with a particular attention on how these working conditions compare to the decent digital work standards proposed for the remote platform economy. It holds that the confluence of information-communication technologies and the worker power - balance of bargaining power between the clients and workers- yields organisational forms which shape the working conditions (job quality outcomes) of online freelance workers (Rubery and Grimshaw, 2001). In this case, working conditions refers to the earnings, working time, availability of work and the work process on the online labour platforms. These working conditions in turn affect the wellbeing (household income, health and skills acquisition and development) of the online freelance workers. The research used mixed methods research design. The quantitative method involved the use of a semi-structured questionnaire administered to 133 youths doing online freelance work and living continuously in Nairobi County. The qualitative method involved the use of interview guides administered to five key informants, , who are opinion leaders and policy makers on information and communication technology for development, business process outsourcing, online outsourcing, digital work and youth employment in Kenya. The findings show that online freelance work is characterized with decent work deficits that need an immediate intervention. The earnings, working time, work process on the online labour platforms met the decent digital work standards. However, this obscures various decent work deficits related to these working conditions. Availability of work-also known as stability of work- did not meet the decent digital work standards. The research found that the youths are underemployed with most of them not getting enough freelance work regularly. These working conditions have tremendous implications on their wellbeing with most of them living in a precarious financial situation-not able to meet their basic needs and cover emergency expenses. On the contrary, these working conditions had no significant effect on the health of the youths apart from a general feeling of anxiety and fatigue emanating from the irregular working xiv schedules and insufficient work on the platform. Moreover, the findings showed that online freelance work facilitates skills acquisition and development. Furthermore, the research provides multi-stakeholder recommendations that can be adopted to bridge the decent work deficits and yield quick gains for the investment that the government has made in online work as an employment strategy for the youth. In general, the research concludes that the government of Kenya needs to pay a particular attention to decent work. It also needs to overhaul Ajira digital programme from a training that introduces high potential but disadvantaged youths to online work to a training that seeks to position the youths in the high-skill macro-task niche. Currently, most youths in Kenya are in the low skill-micro task niche which has meagre earnings and is flooded with workers from other countries in Africa and Asia.