What is a tech worker, really

On the meanings and meaning-making of a term

Bibliographic Data

ID21189700
AuthorsValentin Niebler (0000-0002-4276-3685, Cal Poly Humboldt, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume19
Issue1
Publication date2025-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWork Organisation Labour & Globalisation (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1745-641X • E-ISSN: 1745-6428
PublisherPluto Journals (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.13169/workorgalaboglob.19.1.0014
OpenAlexW4408386375
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited46

In recent decades, a myriad of occupational terminologies has been proposed to grasp the fast-changing labour arrangements in the digital economy. ‘Tech worker’ is among the more recent terms, mostly referring to white-collar employees in tech firms like Google or Amazon. This term was popularised by unionisation drives of high-paid workers in the IT industry, where the notion of the term was gradually expanded. This article reconstructs the use and meaning of the term and reflects on its divergent use in labour movements and academia. Based on this analysis, I argue for an understanding of ‘tech worker’ among researchers that acknowledges its political dimension and dynamic meaning-making

Business · Political science · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Labor Movements and Unions