printWork-Related Well-Being of Platform Workers:
Based on the Interviews with Employees of Profi.Ru
Chernykh E.A.
Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Leading Researcher, Institute of Economics of RAS, Moscow, Russia; Leading Researcher, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia chernykh.ekaterina108@gmail.com
Baimurzina G.R.
Cand. Sci. (Econ.), Leading Researcher, Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS, Moscow, Russia; Leading Researcher, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Ufa, Russia guzrim@mail.ru
The research is funded by Russian Science Foundation, Project № 23-18-00775.
Chernykh E.A., Baimurzina G.R. Work-Related Well-Being of Platform Workers: Based on the Interviews with Employees of Profi.Ru. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2026. No 8. P. 78-91
The article analyzes various parameters of platform workers’ employment through the lens of the concept of work-related well-being (which integrates objective working conditions and subjective assessments of satisfaction). The empirical basis consists of data from semi-structured interviews (N = 70) with workers on the Profi.ru platform, residing in different regions of Russia. For the majority of informants, platform work is the primary source of income. The study examines a wide spectrum of key advantages and negative aspects of platform employment as noted by the informants. It is shown that the platform can act as a social compensator and a channel for self-realization, while simultaneously shifting the burden of risk and cost management onto the worker themselves. The study also identifies the phenomenon of adaptive rationalization, whereby instability is interpreted as “freedom,” masking the objective processes of precarization. A key marker of well-being is agency — the subjectively significant ability of an individual to exercise control over their daily life and maintain a positive balance between resources (autonomy, flexibility, interesting orders) and job demands (algorithmic control, instability). However, the analysis revealed a substantial differentiation of well-being, conditioned by socio-demographic characteristics and the specifics of work (online/offline). This analysis also uncovered significant gender differences in the perception of personal autonomy and the declared goals of a flexible schedule. Empirical evidence suggests that platform employment rarely becomes a stepping stone to standard employment and instead becomes a space for the formation of a new social stratum, which will contribute to further segmentation of the labor market. The study demonstrates the multifaceted nature of work-related well-being indicators for platform workers. A comprehensive analysis of these indicators uncovers latent interconnections and phenomena, including a demand for the development of more sensitive assessment tools and “soft” regulation of platform employment.
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