Pre-manufacturing Consent: The Recruitment Process and Datafication of ‘Tool Person(s)’ in the Chinese Platform Economy

While previous research has predominantly focused on managerial control over workers and the influence of algorithms on workers’ well-being during the production process (referred to as” manufacturing consent”), few studies have empirically investigated how algorithm control has expanded to the recruitment phase. Through an ethnographic study conducted at the HR department of one of the world’s largest international high-tech companies, supplemented by interviews with HR staff and job seekers, this research examines how high-tech companies employ big data, algorithms, extensive interviews, and entrepreneurship discourse to screen, select, and train self-motivated, highly skilled workers. We term this process” pre-manufacturing consent.” The study reveals that big data and algorithms have streamlined numerous aspects of the hiring process, facilitating datafication of salary and personal information, which in turn artificially inflates an employer’s market power, thereby reducing workers’ bargaining power. However, despite these advancements, employers still adhere to costly and time-consuming interviews to further assess workers’ willingness to conform to a demanding ”996” work culture (i.e., working from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week). Consequently, we argue that the recruitment process, bolstered by big data and algorithms have become an alternative means of worker control. It enables certain high-tech companies to swiftly identify and assimilate ideal workers who are predisposed to consent to an abusive working culture beforehand.