Stepping stone or dead End? The ambiguities of platform-mediated domestic work under conditions of austerity. Comparative landscapes of austerity and the Gig economy: New York and Berlin.

This chapter examines some of the ways that nationally and locally distinct conditions of neoliberal austerity shape how people come to take up work in the platform-mediated gig economies of New York City and Berlin. Focusing on gig workers’ experiences with platforms providing domestic cleaning service, the chapter analyses the experience of four young platform workers and concludes that global institutional phenomena such as ‘the gig economy’ and ‘austerity’ have local platform-specific iterations as well as larger global patterns. While it is true that the gig economy’s business model is predicated on austerity logics, to the extent that its two central tenets are risk offloading and continuous accounting, platform companies are also notorious for burning through massive amounts of venture capital in their quest to achieve scale. The immediate impact of this pursuit on many gig workers has been one of relative — and short-lived — splendour, as they eagerly collect sign-up bonuses and enjoy initial payouts higher than any previously received wage. Platform labour’s link to austerity is thus not a straightforward matter, as it is rife with ambivalence and contradictions.