Abstract
"Discover the transformative power of Uberization, a phenomenon driving enterprise evolution and job creation through digital work platforms. Learn how this trend intensifies competition, fosters innovation, and impacts economic growth, while also raising concerns about precariousness and societal fragilization. Explore the dual-edged nature of Uberization and its potential for sustainable growth."
Extract
[...] In the first part, we will study how the uberization of society can stimulate economic growth, through the intensification of competition, and the creation of jobs. In the second part, we will nuance our argument by showing that the productivity gains induced by uberization are, by their very nature, limited and explaining how uberization can contribute to weakening our societies, in particular by generating greater precariousness. I. The uberization of society: a vector of transformation of enterprises and employment . A. [...]
[...] By allowing for greater flexibility, these platforms provide outlets for a very large number of people, most often declared as self-employed. The case of the Uber company is emblematic of this phenomenon. According to the calculations of the Astérès study firm, this platform allows for a net creation (i.e. after taking into account the destruction of jobs it also causes) of nearly 25,000 jobs in France each year. At the macroeconomic scale, these net job creations have several positive consequences for economies: first, they allow for a reduction in unemployment and therefore also the cost of unemployment. [...]
[...] The fragilization of our societies also appears through the example of real estate. In many European capitals, complaints against Airbnb are being heard. The provision of apartments for short-term rentals would, according to local populations and part of the public authorities, result in a housing shortage and a rise in rents. In this context, some cities like Paris and Berlin have put in place restrictions to limit short-term rentals. However, whether it is precarious jobs, housing crisis or social unrest, this has a detrimental effect on long-term economic growth. [...]
[...] The uberization allows, first of all, an intensification of competition. To understand it well, we can rely on this diagram proposed by the Uberization Observatory. It provides examples of digital economy actors by sector. We all know Uber, Chauffeur Privé for transportation, UberEats, Deliveroo for home delivery of dishes or Airbnb for temporary accommodation rental . but that's not all As you can see on this diagram, the uberization also concerns sectors such as politics, finance, legal services, real estate or health According to Grégoire Leclercq, the founder of the Uberization Observatory, there are nearly 180 Uberized platforms at the national level, representing a turnover of around 1 billion euros. [...]
[...] The flexibility allowed and induced by the Uberization of society would therefore be double-edged: on the one hand, it generates more growth and job creation, but on the other hand, it contributes to increasing precariousness. It should be noted here that some progress has been made in recent years. For example, following the revolt of taxi drivers in France, the Thévenoud law has strengthened the requirements for VTCs and aimed to improve the fate of these workers, in particular by establishing a presumption of employment for VTC drivers, which allows them to benefit to some extent from social protection. [...]
