Explore Online Labour Markets with
the Online Labour Observatory
The map shows the most popular online labour occupations in Europe. In Latin Europe the leading online work category is writing and translation, while North Europe provides creative and multimedia work as well as sales and marketing support. Large East European countries are strongest in software development and technology, which is consistent with the fact that they are also significant destinations for traditional technology outsourcing. The map is based on the Online Labour Index, a system that tracks the utilisation of online work across countries and occupations in near real-time.
Explore occupationsThe Online Labour Index
The Online Labour Index (OLI) is the first economic indicator that provides an online gig economy equivalent of conventional labour market statistics. It measures the supply and demand of online freelance labour across countries and occupations by tracking the number of projects and tasks across platforms in real time. Its 2020 update (OLI 2020) introduces wider coverage, new interactive visualizations, and easy access to data.
Explore the OLIResearch
Is tech ‘taking over’? How the online workforce shifts towards tech work
By Susanne Klausing and Fabian Stephany In 2021, we released the Online Labour Index 2020 (OLI 2020) which allows for new forms of analyses regarding the development of online platform[…]
Read more
How big is the online labour workforce? Our data-driven approach to this tricky question
Development in digital communication technologies has made transacting work remotely easier and more economical. Online labour platforms, also known as online outsourcing, crowd-work, or online gig platforms, are at the[…]
Read more
ILO report: The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work
Digital labour platforms have become a pervasive feature of contemporary society. They allow us to order food, arrange a ride, or buy remote freelancing services online. But how are they[…]
Read moreAuthors
Prof. Vili Lehdonvirta
Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research
Vili Lehdonvirta is Professor of Economic Sociology and Digital Social Research at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford. He is an economic sociologist whose research focuses on digital technologies — how they are governed, how they shape the organisation of economic activities, and with what implications to workers, consumers, businesses, and policy.
Dr. Uma Rani
Senior Economist
Uma Rani is Senior Economist at the Research Department of the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland. She is a Development Economist, and her research focuses on transformations in the digital economy, wherein she explores how labour and social institutions interact with public policies and can provide decent working conditions to workers.
Dr. Fabian Stephany
Assistant Professor in AI & Work
Fabian Stephany is an Assistant Professor in AI & Work at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), University of Oxford. Leading the SkillScale Project, Fabian investigates the emergence of new skills and sustainability of novel occupations in times of technological disruption.
See all authors
Our author team unites researcher from Sociology, Economics, Politics, and many other disciplines.
All authorsThe Online Labour Index 2020
The Online Labour Index (OLI) is the first economic indicator that provides an online gig economy equivalent of conventional labour market statistics. It measures the supply and demand of online freelance labour across countries and occupations by tracking the number of projects and tasks across platforms in real time. Its 2020 update (OLI 2020) introduces wider coverage, new interactive visualizations, and easy access to data.
Explore the OLI 2020 