Digital platforms and the changing freelance workforce in the Russian Federation: A ten-year perspective

International Labour Review. 2023. Vol. 162. No. 1. P. 1–22.

Shevchuk A., Strebkov D.

This paper traces the development of the online labour market in Russia and across the wider post-Soviet space. The study utilizes the unique data of four online surveys conducted in 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2019 on the leading general-purpose platform for creative and knowledge-based work, operating in the Russian language. The results shed light on the key trends, such as spatial decentralization, occupational diversification, feminization, maturing, rising education and educational mismatch, strengthening freelance careers, platformization and legalization. The paper discusses the reasons and potential policy implications of these findings for the future development of online platform work in Russia.

Keywords: рынок труда, фрилансеры, самозанятость, freelancers, Russian labor market, non-standard employment, онлайн-платформы, online labor markets, gig economy, labour platforms

Publication based on the results of: Innovative forms of self-employment: results and prospects for the development of the online labor market in Russia (2020)