Future of work

 In the past decade, digital platforms like Uber, Airbnb, Shopify and Amazon have become widely used in Canada, fuelled by advances in big data, algorithms and cloud computing. In 2018, 28% of Canadian adults earned income through digital platforms. Evidence suggests that growth of the platform economy has accelerated due to COVID-19, and that it is fundamentally disrupting structures of worker–employer relationships, job security/precarity and compensation. In this new economy, policy challenges include addressing monopoly ownership, algorithmic management of low-skilled work and increasingly precarious labour practices. There are some indicators that rural regions or smaller municipalities may be less prepared to address these challenges. To date, intergovernmental action on these issues has been piecemeal. The authors argue that the federal government should adopt a coordinated “Platform Economy Strategy” to improve place-based governance of digital platforms in Canada.