Income and employment of platform workers in Finland: A study linking survey and register data

Summary

Platform-mediated work has expanded in recent years, raising concerns about income stability, employment security and social protection. This report describes the income composition, income levels and employment patterns of platform workers in Finland. The study is based on a representative pilot survey on platform work conducted in 2022 and linked with administrative register data from Statistics Finland, allowing income and employment outcomes to be followed between 2019 and 2024. Throughout the analyses we compare platform workers with all those who reported no platform work in the survey, as well as those who reported no platform work and were employed in 2022.

As platform work is identified only through a self-reported indicator in the 2022 survey and we do not know the start, intensity and frequency of the platform work performed, the results should be interpreted as descriptive associations rather than causal effects. Moreover, since platform income cannot be identified in the registers as separate from other income from work and entrepreneurship, we cannot strictly attribute differences and changes in income to the performance of platform work. 

Platform workers had lower incomes than persons with no reported platform work and more often received income from entrepreneurial activities and combined wage and entrepreneurial income. In addition, platform workers relied more often on social security. Trends in yearly income were broadly similar for platform workers and the comparison groups. Analysis of monthly data showed greater month-to-month volatility in wage income among platform workers compared to workers with no reported platform work. This higher volatility largely reflects more frequent transitions into and out of months with wage income (i.e., wage-attachment volatility), rather than larger wage fluctuations conditional on being employed.

Analysis of monthly labour market statuses between 2021 and 2023 shows that platform workers were less likely to be in salaried employment and more likely to be self-employed, unemployed or students than persons with no reported platform work, both in the broader and employment comparison groups. Platform workers also more frequently transitioned between various labour market statuses. They spent fewer months in employment during the observation period than the employed comparison group. We did not find differences in terms of upward or downward mobility in labour market statuses during the observation period.

Platform workers are a heterogeneous group. However, despite differences in sources of income, total taxable earned income and disposable income of onsite and online platform workers were broadly similar in our data. Combined analysis of type of platform work with socio-demographic characteristics, income levels and employment patterns suggests that platform workers distinguished amongst themselves along two main dimensions: whether they performed online or onsite platform work and whether they had high or low disposable income.

At the same time, uncertainty about the timing and intensity of platform work, as well as the extent to which platform earnings are reported in administrative data limits what can be concluded about differences between platform types. Overall, the results highlight the need for nuance in policy discussions and flexibility in regulation, recognising that platform work spans diverse tasks, work arrangements and income situations.

Publication Information

Sten-Gahmberg, S., Riekhoff, A.J. & Kauhanen, M. (2026), Income and employment of platform workers in Finland: A study linking survey and register data, Finnish Centre for Pensions, Reports 05/2026.

• ISSN: 1798-7490 (Online)
• ISBN: 978-951-691-425-4 (Online)