Motives and paths of entry into platform employment in the regions of Russia (using «Profi.ru» as a case study)

About the authors:

Rim M. Valiakhmetov, Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Associate Professor, Head of the Scientific Laboratory for Social and Demographic Research, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Youth Work, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia; rim_m_sifat@inbox.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8875-5197

Marcel S. Turakayev, Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Youth Work, Chief Specialist in the Scientific Laboratory for Social and Demographic Research, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia; Senior Researcher in the Laboratory for Regional Studies of Quality of Life, Centre of Russian Regions Research, Institute of Sociology of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; mturakaev@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2449-6605

, Cand. Sci. (Soc.), Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Youth Work, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia; golichev@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1665-5370

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to examine the individual characteristics and trajectories of Russians’ involvement in platform employment. The object of the study is employees on the job search and offer platform “Profi.ru” (profi.ru). The empirical basis of the article was interviews with individual performers registered on the Profi.ru platform for at least 1 year (n=70). The study found that precarious employment and job dissatisfaction contribute to the development and institutionalization of platform employment in Russia. At the same time, platform work provides flexible and broadly customized opportunities, allowing different categories of employees to find their own job search motivations through online platforms. The expanding online employment landscape offers adaptability to people facing life’s challenges, as well as those seeking new avenues for professional fulfillment.

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