Representation of the Gig Economy in the Western Balkans: Case Study of Montenegro
Given the growth of the ‘gig economy’, the aim of this research is to determine the interest of the workforce hi Montenegro to find employment under this new employment model and work on some of the digital platforms such as Uber, Ah Tasker, Delivero and so on. Also, tins research should show who the employees are (their education levels, gender, age and the type of jobs they do) as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this type of employment.
Gathering information on workers involved in the ‘gig economy’ and on the role they play in Montenegro’s total revenue can be used to create policies to support this form of employment and help in making legislation.
Research Method
The research was conducted via email and a web questionnaire in April and May 2020. We contacted respondents via their social networking profiles (such as Facebook) and professional websites (e.g., Linkedln). The representative sample consisted of workers who made money in the last year using websites or mobile applications, which connect workers directly with employers.
We selected respondents with the aim to include different experiences of working on the platform, types of jobs completed, education and gender.
Hypothesis HI. A highly educated workforce sees a great professional opportunity in the ‘gig economy’.
Hypothesis H2. Working through platforms and in the ‘gig economy’ reduces the brain drain abroad.
Key Findings and Discussion
It is believed that freelancing has many advantages such as a better balance of work and private life, the possibility of choosing working hours, high earning potentials, professional advancement and the like. According to our research, conducted on a sample of 150 respondents in Montenegro, certain specifics that are characteristic of the population of Montenegro working in this way are seen.
The analysis performed by the level of education showed that those who had completed university (22.15%) and high school (18.2%) (Figure 5.2) constituted most of the respondents.
Our research results show that the largest number of employees in the gig economy worked in research and education (44%) (Figure 5.3) followed by the provision of programming sendees (21%) and translation sendees (20%). These data, to some extent, refute the indigenous opinion that developers work the most in this way.
Figure 5.2 Structure of employees in the gig economy by level of education Source: Author created.
Figure 5.3 The kind of jobs hi the gig economy Source: Author created.
When asked in which domain employees in the gig economy achieve the greatest benefits, the largest number of respondents singled out the professional aspect (20.13%) and only then the financial aspect (18.12%). Further, as many as 56% would accept working in the gig economy as the only
Figure 5.4 In what aspects of life, the gig economy has positively affected Source: Author created.
source of income, whereas 24% would work if they could not find another job. This means that a total of 80% of respondents would be willing to work this way (Figure 5.4).
The research also analyzed the negative aspects of working in the gig economy. Interestingly, as many as 66.22% of respondents believe that this way of working has no negative private, professional, and financial consequences for the employees (Figure 5.5).
When asked how to improve the position of employees in the economy, the largest percentage of respondents under the age of 30 or 23.6% believe that the most important thing is the trust of employers, on which job security and concluded contracts will depend. Their opinion was not shared by other age groups of respondents. Thus, for those who were in the cohort between 30 and 40 years, the most important is the legal regulation of the position of employees who work in this way (12.8%), given that no country in the region has legislation in this area. The same opinion in the overall structure of respondents is shared by those belonging to the age groups between 40 and 50 years (7.4%) and those older than 50 years (2.0%) (Figure 5.6).
When asked whether working across platforms can reduce brain drain abroad, about 54.4% of respondents answered positively. Among them, 24.83% had completed higher education (Figure 5.7).
Figure 5.5 In what aspects of life, the gig economy has negatively affected Source: Author created.
Figure 5.6 How can the position of freelancers be best improved? Source: Author created.
Figure 5.7 How working in a gig economy can reduce brain drain Source: Author created.
