The Evolution of the Online Platform Economy: Evidence from Five Years of Banking Data

The Evolution of the Online Platform Economy Evidence from Five Years of Banking Data

Measuring the gig economy has been challenging. Drawing on anonymized administrative banking data, we measure supply-side participation in the online platform economy between 2013 and 2018. We find 2.3 million account holders who received payments from 128 transportation, non-transport work, selling...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:AEA papers and proceedings Vol. 109; pp. 362 - 366
Main Authors: Farrell, Diana, Greig, Fiona, Hamoudi, Amar
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: American Economic Association 01-05-2019
Subjects:
THE GIG ECONOMY
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Summary:Measuring the gig economy has been challenging. Drawing on anonymized administrative banking data, we measure supply-side participation in the online platform economy between 2013 and 2018. We find 2.3 million account holders who received payments from 128 transportation, non-transport work, selling, and leasing platforms. Participation grew rapidly, particularly in the transportation sector. Average monthly revenues declined among drivers and increased among lessors even within metro areas. At least a third--and likely more--of the decline in transportation revenues is driven by decreases in hours worked. These findings raise important policy questions and motivate promising directions for future work.
ISSN:2574-0768
2574-0776
DOI:10.1257/pandp.20191040