Digital Platforms and the Future of Work: A Gendered Perspective

Yesim Elhan-Kayalar () and Jade Joy Therese Tolentino ()
Additional contact information
Yesim Elhan-Kayalar: Asian Development Bank
Jade Joy Therese Tolentino: Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg

The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 2025, vol. 68, issue 2, No 13, 605-626

Abstract: Abstract In this paper, we examine the role of online platforms in framing employment opportunities and market competition for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia. Using primary survey data and granular administrative records from an online food delivery application, we assess merchants’ business performance from January 2019 to February 2021, a period that includes an exogenous shock from the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that digital platforms expanded employment and income-generation opportunities for MSMEs during this period. However, the uptake of these opportunities and the impact of increased competition from other MSMEs on these platforms vary across gender lines. Three empirical findings emerge from this study. Firstly, the surge of new entrants to online markets put downward pressure on the revenues of both incumbent and entrant merchants for all gender categories (men-owned, women-owned, and jointly owned). Secondly, increased competition from men-owned businesses had a significant and negative impact on both women-owned and other men-owned business revenues in the same market, compared to competition from women- and jointly owned businesses. Thirdly, women-owned MSMEs were less likely to utilise government support programmes, business development services, and external lending instruments than men-owned businesses. This disparity may be attributed to information frictions and risk perceptions that limit women business owners’ ability to effectively navigate increasing market competition compared to other gender cohorts. The study concludes with policy recommendations aimed at facilitating a just transition in online markets within the evolving landscape of work.

Keywords: Digital platforms; Gender; Future of work; E-commerce; MSMEs; Indonesia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J18 J21 O17 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41027-025-00571-3 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:68:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s41027-025-00571-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/41027

DOI: 10.1007/s41027-025-00571-3

Access Statistics for this article

The Indian Journal of Labour Economics is currently edited by Alakh Sharma

More articles in The Indian Journal of Labour Economics from Springer, The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().