Online labour markets: an inquiry into oDesk providers

Brett Caraway, null

doi:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.4.2.0111

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Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 4, Issue 2

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Online labour markets: an inquiry into oDesk providers

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research-article

Author(s): Brett Caraway

Publication date (Print): Autumn 2010

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

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Abstract

This study is an institutional ethnography of oDesk workers. The research makes use of an online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to identify the ways in which the oDesk platform functions as the medium and expression of the activities of online workers. I analyse the marketplace along the structural dimensions of visibility, community, and economics and conclude by arguing that these structures are recursively ordered through various activities occurring as part of the contingent reproduction of the oDesk Marketplace.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Autumn 2010

Volume: 4

Issue: 2

Pages: 111-125

Article

Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.4.2.0111

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.4.2.0111

SO-VID: 2a2958b5-f412-4f67-8feb-18195bec89de

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

Babbie, E. (2004) The Practice of Social Research: 10th Edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Boes, A. and T. Kämpf (2008). ‘The nexus of informatisation and internationalisation: a new stage in the internationalisation of labour’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2): 193–208
Dahlmann, S. and U. Huws (2008) ‘Sunset in the West: outsourcing editorial work from the UK to India – a case study of the impact on workers’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(1): 59–75.
Dean, S. (2008) Interview: oDesk's CEO on Opportunities for Web Workers, WebWorkerDaily.com
Flecker, J. (2008) ‘Network economy or just a new breed of multinationals? relocation of eWork as a window to the restructuring of value chains’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2):36–51
Fost, D. (2009), ‘In Hard Times, Freelancers Turn to the Web’, New York Times , March 13. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/business/smallbusiness/13freelance.html?_r=1
Garcia, T. (2008), ‘Controversy over work from home tech’. abclocal, October 6, Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6434457
Giddens, A. (1986) The Constitution of Society , Berkeley: University of California Press
Gurstein, P. (2007) ‘Navigating the seamless environment in the global supply chain: implications for Canadian regions and workers’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2): 76–97
Hoge, P. (2009) ‘oDesk pulls up a chair for freelancers: Menlo Park firm lets employers rate workers’, San Francisco Business Times , September 25. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/09/28/smallb1.html
Kalimuthu, P. (2009) ‘Minimum Wage has come up in oDesk’, freelancelens.com. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://www.freelancelens.com/marketplaces/news/minimum-wage-coming-up-in-odesk/
Metz, C., C. L. Gonsher et al., (2006) ‘Our First Small-business Awards’, PC Magazine , September 27http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2021735,00.asp
Miller, C. C. (2008) ‘Start-up Offers a way to Pay Workers Abroad’, New York Times , August 26, http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/start-up-offers-a-way-to-pay-workers-abroad/
Morais, R. C. (2009) ‘Manpower Tries to Catch a Web Wave’, Forbes.com, June 8, http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0608/097-freelancers-craigslist-retirement-manpower-tries-to-catch-wave.html
oDesk. (2006, November 27). ‘Strong Growth Enables oDesk to Slash Fees Nearly 60%.’ Retrieved June 21, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/w/strong-growth-enables-odesk-to-slash-fees-nearly-60-percent
oDesk. (2009) oDesk Marketplace User Agreement, oDesk Corporation
oDesk. (2009, March 24). ‘oDesk Report Shows Companies Will Increase Use of Contractors During Recession’ Retrieved June 21, 2009 from http://www.odesk.com/w/odesk_report_shows_companies_will_increase_use_of_contractors_during_recession
oDesk. (2009, May 13). ‘oDesk Launches oDesk Groups; Announces Partnerships with Yahoo!, Network Solutions, and more’, Retrieved June 21, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/w/odesk_launches_odesk_groups_announces_partnerships_with_yahoo_network_solutions
oDesk. (2009, June 5). ‘Hourly Rates for U.S. Freelance Software Developers Up 35% in 2009’, Retrieved June 21, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/w/hourly_rates_for_US_freelance_software_developers_up_35_percent_in_2009
oDesk. (2009, October 14) ‘Minimum Rates on Job Posts and Candidate List’, Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/10/minimum-rates-on-job-posts-and-candidate-list/
oDesk (2009) Changing the Way the World Works. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://www.odesk.com/help/help/policies/community_values
Revell, J. et al. (2009) ‘The rise of freelance nation: Don't wait for the company to push you. Start thinking like an entrepreneur now’, CNNMoney.com, June 12http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/11/magazines/moneymag/entreprenuerial_workplace.moneymag
Rodino-Colocino, M. (2008). ‘Technomadic Work: From Promotional Vision to WashTech's Opposition’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2): 104–116
Shellenbarger, S. (2009, November 25), ‘The Five-Second Commute’, The Wall Street Journal , New York City
Smith, D. E. (2006) ‘Introduction’, Institutional Ethnography as Practice , Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Babbie, E. (2004) The Practice of Social Research: 10th Edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

[2] Boes, A. and T. Kämpf (2008). ‘The nexus of informatisation and internationalisation: a new stage in the internationalisation of labour’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2): 193–208

[3] Dahlmann, S. and U. Huws (2008) ‘Sunset in the West: outsourcing editorial work from the UK to India – a case study of the impact on workers’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(1): 59–75.

[4] Dean, S. (2008) Interview: oDesk's CEO on Opportunities for Web Workers, WebWorkerDaily.com

[5] Flecker, J. (2008) ‘Network economy or just a new breed of multinationals? relocation of eWork as a window to the restructuring of value chains’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2):36–51

[6] Fost, D. (2009), ‘In Hard Times, Freelancers Turn to the Web’, New York Times , March 13. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/business/smallbusiness/13freelance.html?_r=1

[7] Garcia, T. (2008), ‘Controversy over work from home tech’. abclocal, October 6, Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6434457

[8] Giddens, A. (1986) The Constitution of Society , Berkeley: University of California Press

[9] Gurstein, P. (2007) ‘Navigating the seamless environment in the global supply chain: implications for Canadian regions and workers’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2): 76–97

[10] Hoge, P. (2009) ‘oDesk pulls up a chair for freelancers: Menlo Park firm lets employers rate workers’, San Francisco Business Times , September 25. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://sanfrancisco.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/09/28/smallb1.html

[11] Kalimuthu, P. (2009) ‘Minimum Wage has come up in oDesk’, freelancelens.com. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://www.freelancelens.com/marketplaces/news/minimum-wage-coming-up-in-odesk/

[12] Metz, C., C. L. Gonsher et al., (2006) ‘Our First Small-business Awards’, PC Magazine , September 27http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2021735,00.asp

[13] Miller, C. C. (2008) ‘Start-up Offers a way to Pay Workers Abroad’, New York Times , August 26, http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/start-up-offers-a-way-to-pay-workers-abroad/

[14] Morais, R. C. (2009) ‘Manpower Tries to Catch a Web Wave’, Forbes.com, June 8, http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0608/097-freelancers-craigslist-retirement-manpower-tries-to-catch-wave.html

[15] oDesk. (2006, November 27). ‘Strong Growth Enables oDesk to Slash Fees Nearly 60%.’ Retrieved June 21, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/w/strong-growth-enables-odesk-to-slash-fees-nearly-60-percent

[16] oDesk. (2009) oDesk Marketplace User Agreement, oDesk Corporation

[17] oDesk. (2009, March 24). ‘oDesk Report Shows Companies Will Increase Use of Contractors During Recession’ Retrieved June 21, 2009 from http://www.odesk.com/w/odesk_report_shows_companies_will_increase_use_of_contractors_during_recession

[18] oDesk. (2009, May 13). ‘oDesk Launches oDesk Groups; Announces Partnerships with Yahoo!, Network Solutions, and more’, Retrieved June 21, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/w/odesk_launches_odesk_groups_announces_partnerships_with_yahoo_network_solutions

[19] oDesk. (2009, June 5). ‘Hourly Rates for U.S. Freelance Software Developers Up 35% in 2009’, Retrieved June 21, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/w/hourly_rates_for_US_freelance_software_developers_up_35_percent_in_2009

[20] oDesk. (2009, October 14) ‘Minimum Rates on Job Posts and Candidate List’, Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.odesk.com/blog/2009/10/minimum-rates-on-job-posts-and-candidate-list/

[21] oDesk (2009) Changing the Way the World Works. Retrieved August 9, 2010 from http://www.odesk.com/help/help/policies/community_values

[22] Revell, J. et al. (2009) ‘The rise of freelance nation: Don't wait for the company to push you. Start thinking like an entrepreneur now’, CNNMoney.com, June 12http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/11/magazines/moneymag/entreprenuerial_workplace.moneymag

[23] Rodino-Colocino, M. (2008). ‘Technomadic Work: From Promotional Vision to WashTech's Opposition’, Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation , 1(2): 104–116

[24] Shellenbarger, S. (2009, November 25), ‘The Five-Second Commute’, The Wall Street Journal , New York City

[25] Smith, D. E. (2006) ‘Introduction’, Institutional Ethnography as Practice , Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield