Global spend on “work services platforms” reached roughly $435.4 billion in 2021, according to data from Staffing Industry Analysts.

SIA’s Lexicon defines work services platforms as:

“An online platform model that enables the delivery of certain specialized services (customer service, translation, writing, taxi rides, etc.) performed by a group of online workers that are organized/managed by the platform provider. The client is purchasing ‘an outcome’ (as a service output, not a labor relationship). Online Work Services has experienced explosive growth in recent years, primarily driven by the meteoric rise of mobile-phone-enabled ‘localized’ consumer service platforms. The main services offered by such platforms are ridesharing, food/other delivery and cleaning/household services.”

Examples of work services platforms include Uber, DoorDash and Lyft.

Gross spend volume (fees paid to workers plus fees for facilitating transactions) was $127.7 billion in the US in 2021, but there was more in Asia, which saw gross spend volume at $160.1 billion. In Europe, gross spend volume was $115.5 billion.

The “work services platform” category ranks alongside “talent platforms” in SIA’s global workforce ecosystem. Both are considered part of the “candidate discovery” segment.