More than half of the surveyed Uber, Cabify, or Didi drivers consider collective organization to defend their rights very important. While the average working hours are 7.5, this index rises for those for whom it is their main source of income and decreases for those who use it as a supplement. Additionally, more than a third of those surveyed reported working more than 45 hours a week. But they are not the only ones, an average of 25% of independent workers in creativity and design work that many hours, even with a stable job. In this case, the sample includes the platforms Upwork, Fiverr, and Workana, cited by their percentage of use. The difference in this area is that more than 70% work from a single platform.
Radiography of Platform Work The document titled 'Radiography of Platform Work in Argentina' was carried out with the participation of researchers from the National University of Córdoba (UNC), University of Buenos Aires (UBA), National University of Cuyo (UNCUYO), National University of Rafaela (UNRaf), Maimónides University, National University of La Plata (UNLP), National University of San Martín (UNSAM), Gino Germani Institute, and CONICET, among others. The growing weight of multiple jobs among platform workers is a relevant finding of the study: 'Multiple jobs occur mainly for a material reason, to satisfy basic needs because the purchasing power of wages is low and because of the relationship with the time that platforms propose. That one works on more than one thing is linked to the need: one has to work more and more hours because it is not enough,' stated Cora Arias, Ph.D. in Social Sciences (UBA), Adjunct Researcher at CONICET (UNSAM), and a professor at UBA, one of the scientists who participated in the research.
For the researcher, 'official statistics hide that we are dedicating more and more time to working. Work on platforms is very accessible, it is a relatively easy income, but it hides that it is caused by the deterioration in the quality of life due to low wages.'
Sectoral Division The study was divided into different sectors of activity: passenger transport, domestic work, freelance design work, informal teaching, and freelance IT work, all mediated by platforms. The research project within the Scientific Research Agency, which received subsidies at the end of 2023, was possible thanks to funding, as a large team of work was needed to achieve a significant and federal sample. A total of 1,095 cases were analyzed, and its importance lies in that 'platform work is unknown, it is invisible, there is no public statistics,' as stated by Arias.
It arose from the need 'to have data on a phenomenon that is increasingly widespread, of which we only knew partial aspects, to have a general view of what is happening in different places and sectors. It is a very artisanal job, we needed many people working to reach these people,' the researcher recounted.
This has become a rule as the general index of multiple employment has been on the rise in recent years. One job is not enough In fact, the Report on the labor market situation published in January by the Center for Research and Training (CIFRA-CTA) also accounts for this. While in the second quarter of 2023 multiple employment represented 11%, in the same quarter of 2025 the figure rises to 11.9.
Regarding passenger transport, the study carried out in 2024 covered cases of Uber, Cabify, and Didi drivers, which are the most present in the territory. Drivers are on average 36 years old, a third are women, and 8 out of 10 are Argentine. Migrants are increasingly fewer.
Buenos Aires, Feb 12 (NA) -- 75% of virtual platform workers have a second job, the majority do it 'out of necessity' and it is a 'myth' the supposed satisfaction 'of being my own boss,' according to a joint study by eight national universities. Only 25% of platform workers perform the activity exclusively, while 75% use it as an alternative source of income, adding it as a second job, concluded the Argentine News Agency. Another myth that the survey dismantles is that most of those who work for the platforms are foreigners, since 80% are Argentine. Within the universe of platform workers, 75% are in a situation of multiple employment, that is, they have more than one job to be able to subsist.
