Exploratory research on internet-enabled work exchanges and employability : analysis and synthesis of qualitative evidence on crowdsourcing for work, funding and volunteers

In the current economic context where a key policy emphasis is on employment, this project aims to inform policy of new forms of work and ways to enhance employability mediated by ICTs. New ICT applications are continually changing the practices and possibilities of work: the way that tasks are executed and organised; labour markets - how human capital is contracted, exploited and developed; and the ways and places that people are able and choose to work and develop their working lives. The report provides synthesis and analysis of the findings of six in-depth case studies on crowdfunding, online work exchanges, and systems of exchange and recruitment of unpaid work conducted in 2013. It also provides information on the operation of platforms, motivations of buyers/ investors and sellers/ workers to engage in crowdsourcing, the prerequisites for successful engagement in crowdsourcing. It examines these from the perspective of employability at the level of individuals, employers and employment intermediaries, examining the conditions under which they are used, and the skills and competences required to use them. The conclusions will have relevance for policy in the fields of employment and employability primarily, but they also provide evidence relevant to skills and training in entrepreneurship, finance (crowdfunding), and volunteer policy. The report offers recommendations for future qualitative and quantitative research.