Nordic labour markets and the sharing economy

Abstract

This report presents a preliminary knowledge status about implications of the sharing economy for labour markets and employment relations in the Nordic countries. It also reviews how the Nordic countries and their social partners approach the sharing economy and issues relating, amongst other, to its legality, regulation, taxation, and terms of competition. There is so far scant supply of statistics, data and research in this field. Clearly, work via sharing economy platforms is still marginal in the Nordic labour markets, but if it gains momentum it may challenge traditional features of the Nordic labour and welfare regimes organized around the wage-earner relationship. The employment potentials and consequences of the sharing economy will, amongst other, depend on the governments’ and the organized actors’ responses to these challenges. Currently, all the actors seem to be in a phase of knowledge gathering and deliberation of possible policy options, cautiously avoiding taking steps that might obstruct the development of the sharing economy. In this respect, the evolution of the sharing economy and its labour market implications offers a unique opportunity to trace processes of change and policy formation in a core area of the Nordic models. The report thus concludes by pointing to knowledge gaps and themes for further follow-up studies.