Many platform workers in Europe who want greater job security through benefits like paid leave and sick pay are unwilling to give up more than a small fraction of their income to get them, new research from the EU-funded Project WeLaR found.
The paper, “New Forms of Work and Workers’ Demand for Security and Stability”, analysed how workers in the platform economy value job protections that are typically offered in standard employment. Using survey experiments in Poland, Italy, Germany, and Belgium, the researchers estimated how much earnings workers are willing to forgo in exchange for paid leave or sick pay. While preferences varied by country and by workers’ personal circumstances, on average, respondents would give up just 2.15% of income for paid leave and 1% for sick pay.
The findings suggest a complex reality for policymakers navigating platform work regulation. As the EU moves toward implementing a directive on platform workers’ rights, the authors warn that a one-size-fits-all approach may face pushback from workers who prioritise flexibility or cannot afford social security contributions.
“These findings challenge the idea that gig workers universally seek traditional employment protections,” said Piotr Lewandowski, chairman of the Institute for Structural Research and co-author of the study. “There’s a clear divide. Some workers choose platform jobs for flexibility and don’t want benefits at the cost of lower pay, while others, especially those with fewer job options, are more willing to trade income for stability.”
The study surveyed nearly 800 platform workers, including food couriers, ride-hailing drivers, and domestic cleaners. Italian and Belgian workers valued paid leave the most, with average willingness-to-pay above 5% of income. That compared with just 1% in Poland and under 1% in Germany. Willingness to give up earnings in exchange for sick pay was more uniform, though still low across the board.
Employees who entered platform work out of necessity, due to job loss or lack of alternatives, were far more willing to give up earnings for benefits, especially sick pay. In contrast, workers drawn by flexibility were more likely to prioritise paid leave. Self-employed platform workers showed little interest in paying for benefits, while employees were willing to forgo nearly 3% of their pay for paid leave.
“Time preference matters,” said Laurène Thil of HIVA – KU Leuven, another study co-author. “Employees, who favour immediate income over future gains, are paradoxically more willing to pay for protections like paid leave. They may be more aware of the risks they face in precarious jobs.”
Surprisingly, risk aversion had little effect on how workers valued benefits – contrary to economic theory that predicts risk-averse individuals would pay more for security.
The authors call for nuanced policies that distinguish between workers using platforms as a primary income source and those who use them casually. Without adequate safeguards, they warn, the platform economy may continue to expose large segments of the workforce to high levels of precarity.
“Just because workers don’t want to pay doesn’t mean benefits aren’t needed,” said Jakob Schmidhäuser, co-author of the report and the researcher at ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research. “Low willingness-to-pay reflects low earnings, not low demand. Policymakers must recognise that some workers are unable – not unwilling – to invest in protections.”
Zuzanna Kowalik, Piotr Lewandowski, Fabrizio Pompei, Jakob Schmidhäuser, Wojciech Szymczak, Laurène Thil (2025). New Forms of Work and Workers’ Demand for Security and Stability (Deliverable D7.3). Leuven: WeLaR project 101061388 – HORIZON.
Read the full paper here.
