Misclassification of employees as independent contractors? The (in)dependence of digital platforms' drivers

Abstract

Are digital platform drivers self-employed or salaried employees? Based on the results of an original qualitative survey of these workers in France, this article proposes to consider this question from a sociological standpoint. While it shows that the deployment of platforms is accompanied by a deterioration in the working conditions and remuneration of drivers, it uses a two-profile typology to reveal the dynamics involved in the sector's transformations. Initially in the majority, drivers who inherited the "Grande Remise" (chauffeured driving appellation) are managing to secure favourable working conditions and remuneration thanks to the development of a private clientele that allows them to escape the grip of the platforms and reappropriate the conditions under which they carry out their activity. However, the proportion of these self-employed workers has gradually decreased in favour of "app drivers", who are, conversely, characterised by their heavy dependence on the platforms, and on Uber in particular. The platform's quasi-monopolistic position in the PHV (Private Hire Vehicle) market thus favours the emergence and expansion of a docile workforce with the additional advantage that it is the drivers who assume the risks of the activity.