ILPC 2027

The sharing economy - with new, app-based platform companies that match demanders and suppliers of work and resources - has quickly become a buzzword, also in Norway. In this article, we offer some estimates of the size of the sharing economy in Norway, that is, how many provide services through online platforms, how many companies buy services, and how many and what type of platforms operate in Norway. The data material consists of two surveys conducted in the fall of 2016, one of those who offer their services through platforms, and one of the companies buying services, as well as a desk review mapping sharing economy platforms. Further, we explore how and in what ways the sharing economy leads to new forms of work. The platforms establish a triangular relationship between the platform, those who offer services and those who buy services through these platforms. The contractual and actual relationship(s) between these three actors is blurry, and there are elements pointing in the direction of an employment relationship, although some of the platforms claim that they are not employers. Based on interviews with platform companies and contractual agreements offered by the companies, we explore how the platforms define their activity and their relationship with those who provide services through the platforms and how these relationships can be categorized based on labor law. The results indicate that the sharing economy is still a marginal phenomenon in the Norwegian working life; however, the platforms create new triangular relationships that pose challenges to current labor law and regulations.