Riding the line: migrant precarity, structural racism and the normalisation of exploitation in the rideshare economy

This paper examines the precarious work of migrant Uber drivers in Australia, focusing on how structural racism and platform labour practices intersect to normalise exploitation within the rideshare economy. Precarious work, characterised by insecure employment, limited benefits and minimal worker protection is particularly prominent in the gig economy which is mediated through the migration, labour-market and racial context of settler societies such as Australia. Migrants, who are overrepresented in this precarious labour force, face volatile working conditions, unpredictable incomes and job insecurity, exacerbating existing social and economic inequalities. Drawing on interviews with migrant Uber drivers in Melbourne, this study explores the everyday racism and discrimination these drivers encounter. Findings reveal that Uber's operational structures, including algorithmic management and customer rating systems, reinforce existing inequalities and contribute to racial platform capitalism (Gebrial, D. [2024. “Racial Platform Capitalism: Empire, Migration and the Making of Uber in London.” Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 56 (5): 1170–1194.]). Drivers from racialized minority backgrounds experience disrespect, danger and racism, but are often constrained in their responses or avoid reporting these experiences because of risks to their safety and job security. Uber’s model exemplifies the racialized dynamics of platform labour, where technology, capitalism and structural racism combine. This extends understandings of racial platform capitalism by revealing how Uber’s operational structures can discourage resistance to racism, and normalise exploitation.