SOCIAL IMPACT OF UBERIZATION: TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE LABOR MARKET IN THE CITY OF IMPERATRIZ-MA

Abstract

This article analyzes the social impacts of the uberization of work, focusing on the transformations that occurred in the labor market in the city of Imperatriz-MA. The research aims to understand how digital platforms have been changing traditional forms of employment, directly influencing the living conditions, labor rights and psychosocial health of workers. The phenomenon of uberization, although it offers flexibility and autonomy, reveals a new logic of job precariousness marked by the absence of guarantees, income instability, and algorithmic subordination, even under the discourse of autonomy. The research has a qualitative and exploratory character, based on a literature review and application of a structured questionnaire to 40 workers by app in Imperatriz. The data show long working hours, economic insecurity, absence of social protection and high level of stress among workers. In addition, contradictions are evident between the declared autonomy and the reality of subordination imposed by the platforms. The article also discusses the regional specificities of the labor market in Imperatriz and the legal challenges of the absence of regulation. Uberization, although it represents an innovation in the work model, reinforces social inequalities and demands the creation of legal mechanisms that guarantee decent working conditions for those involved.