The Gig Economy of Care: Analyzing "The Airbnb of Eldercare" and Its Policy Implications in British Columbia.

This study critically examines the impact of platform capitalism on elder care in British Columbia through a case study of Tuktu, an app-based startup that mediates care services via digital platforms. It highlights how Tuktu commodifies care work by misclassifying workers as independent contractors, thereby denying them labour rights and protections, while exploiting a predominantly female and racialized workforce. The analysis underscores that Tuktu's model fragments elder care into discrete, low-paid tasks, masking the true labour involved and perpetuating systemic inequalities rooted in capitalism, gender, and race. The study calls for comprehensive policy reforms to regulate digitally mediated care, ensure universal access to publicly funded elder care, and mandate equitable labour standards that protect both care workers and recipients. It emphasizes that technology in elder care must be harnessed to enhance, not undermine, the quality of care and labour conditions.