Digital platforms in the Italian domestic care sector: The emergence of an unprecedented corporate logic and its implications for workers’ social protection

This article explores the heterogeneity of care platforms using the case studies of two\r\nplatforms in the Italian domestic work sector: one that carries out matching between\r\nsupply and demand (Helpling), reinforcing informality in the sector, and one that acts\r\nas an employer (Batmaid). The analysis shows that digital platforms can introduce a\r\ncorporate logic into a sector where it was previously absent. This creates a potential\r\nfor company-level bargaining for both platforms and related models – something that\r\ntrade unions have, so far, not considered owing to a lack of recognition of the needs\r\nof platform domestic workers.