The Impact of The Electronic Platform Work Model On The Informalisation of Work: The Experience of E-Hailing Drivers In South Africa

E-hailing has disrupted the personal transport service industry through the use of electronic platforms that mediate between customers and service providers. The implications of this technology-enabled business model, where an electronic platform administers the relationship between the platform owner and the e-hailing drivers, has gained the attention of both policy regulators and researchers. This study offers an analysis on how the higher level of informality of the platform economy affects the personal career trajectory of e-hailing drivers, within a South African context. This study explores the impact of informalisation on e-hailing drivers’ career trajectories, by means of two frameworks, the Social Cognitive Career Theory and Spectrum of Formality model. A qualitative research approach was used to collect and analyse interview data from e-hailing drivers in South Africa. We analyze how the motivations and complexities of e-hailing drivers impact on their own expectations about their career trajectories. Increased informalization in e-hailing appears to benefit mostly the platforms, and it reduces the agency of drivers in pursuing their desired career trajectory.