On July 30, the Fairwork Italy report on the platform economy, the first of its kind, edited by the Department of Social and Economic Sciences of Sapienza University of Rome, was issued. It is the result of an international project of study and mapping of platform work coordinated centrally by the University of Oxford, thanks to a global network of researchers and experts in platform economics from 38 countries and 5 continents. In this field, the reference point for Italy is Sapienza University, with Andrea Ciarini of the Department of Social and Economic Sciences as principal investigator who edited the national report.

Following a methodology shared by the Fairwork project partners, the research work analysed and scored some of the main platforms operating in the food delivery and care and domestic services sectors in Italy. The assessment process included a desk research phase and a phase linked to interviews with workers and managers of the platforms about their experiences and working conditions.

"Employment opportunities offered by digital platforms are growing steadily in Italy and it is estimated that there are thousands of workers engaged in various services and professions related to this field, with a wide variety of tasks, ranging from delivery and ride-sharing services to domestic and care services," says Andrea Ciarini. "This trend has a significant impact on the economy, stimulating job creation and innovation in the production and distribution of services. However, concerns remain about job stability, low wages and lack of bargaining power".