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Research papers on The gig economy

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  1. Platform work‐lives in the gig economy: Recentering work–family research

    Al James · 2024 · Gender, Work & Organization · 58 citations

    Abstract Crowdwork platforms have been widely celebrated as challenging gendered labor market inequalities through new digitally mediated possibilities for reconciling work, home, and family. This paper interrogates those claims and explores the wider implications of digital labor platforms for an expansive work–family research agenda stubbornly rooted in formal modes of employment in the “analogue” economy. Based on ethnographic research with women platform workers in the UK (using PeoplePerHour, Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, and Copify), the paper asks: what are women crowdworkers' lived experiences of integrating paid work and family relative to formal employment? And what

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  2. Uber in the Portuguese gig economy: a laboratory for platform capitalism

    Emanuele Leonardi, Giorgio Pirina · 2020 · Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation · 28 citations

    The paper frames the emergence of the Portuguese gig economy within the broader process of platformisation of work in Europe as set in motion by the neoliberal turn at a global scale. Against this background the case of Portugal in general and that of Lisbon in particular are analysed to show both their consistency with the general trends of the European Union's economic dynamics and their irreducible peculiarities. These latter particularities, and especially the so-called ‘Uber Law’, are discussed in connection with the hypothesis of a specifically Portuguese variety of the gig economy.

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  4. Solving the ‘Gig-saw’? Collective Rights and Platform Work

    Michael Doherty, Valentina Franca · 2020 · Industrial Law Journal · 14 citations

    Abstract There are few topics in contemporary labour law scholarship that have generated more literature than work in the so-called ‘platform economy’. To date, much work has focussed on the question of defining the personal scope of the employment relationship and on the problems of using existing classifications of employment status in the context of work organised via platforms. This article seeks to address the much less-discussed issue of how collective bargaining may function in the ‘platform economy’, and the role of collective labour law actors, most notably the social partners. The article argues that, rather than focussing on individual employment status and litigati

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  6. Constitutional Values in the Gig-Economy? Why Labor Law Fails at Platform Work, and What Can We Do about It?

    Zsolt Ződi, Bernát Török · 2021 · Societies · 7 citations

    Gig-work, or platform work, has been in the crosshairs of regulators since roughly the mid-2010s. The employment of an increasing number of platform workers raises a number of problems, however, there is no longer a consensus as to whether these problems are only the emergence of certain well-established labor law issues in a new guise, or completely new ones. To date, only one possible solution seems to have emerged, that of bringing platform work under the umbrella of labor law. This study argues, on the one hand, that platform work has a characteristic that was previously unknown in the world of labor relations (algorithmic and data-based work organization) and, on the other hand, that it

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  7. The Gig Economy and Labor Market Restructuring: Platform Work, Worker Classification, and the Future of Employment Relations

    V. Basil Han · 2026 · Journal of Economic Insights and Research (JEIR)

    This study examines the growth, characteristics, and labor market implications of platform mediated gig work across 24 OECD countries from 2015 to 2025. Using administrative data, labor force surveys, and platform transaction records, we document that gig work has grown to represent 4.2% of total employment and 12.8% of labor income for participants. We find substantial heterogeneity in worker experiences: approximately 35% of gig workers use platforms as primary income sources with limited alternative opportunities, while 65% engage in platform work as supplementary income alongside traditional employment or education. Earnings analysis reveals that median hourly compensation after accounti

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  9. The Evolution of Skills in Digital Platform Work: Implications for Employment in India’s Gig Economy

    Arindam Lahiri, Dr. Deepti Sehrawat, et al. · 2025 · RA JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH

    The unprecedented expansion of digital platforms has significantly transformed the landscape of employment in India, resulting in the emergence of novel forms of job opportunities, while disrupting established notions of job security and the requisite skill sets necessary for adapting to this new employment paradigm. This scholarly paper delves into the evolving characteristics of platform work within the Indian context, placing a pronounced emphasis on the critical transition of skills. Through a comprehensive examination of existing literature, coupled with an in-depth analysis of the recent trends that have emerged in this domain, this report meticulously investigates the multifaceted way

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  10. The Low-Cost Carriers as Catalysts of the Gig Economy

    Mirella Powolna, Rui Alexandre Castanho, Fabrício Pelloso Piurcosky, et al. · 2026 · Perspectivas Contemporâneas

    The expansion of Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) has fundamentally reshaped international air travel by democratizing access and stimulating demand in previously underserved markets. Beyond their well-documented effects on pricing and competition, LCCs have become indirect yet powerful catalysts of the Gig Economy, particularly within the transport sector. By generating increased passenger volumes, expanding secondary airport ecosystems, and shifting consumer behavior toward price-sensitive, flexible travel, LCCs have created structural conditions favorable to the proliferation of platform-based, on-demand transport work, a phenomenon that in Brazil, according to data from IBGE's PNAD Contínua, gre

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  11. Ijarah Digital dalam Ekonomi Gig: Menuju Kerangka Tata Kelola Syariah pada Platform Freelancer

    Nisa Amalia, Fitri Kurniawati · 2026 · JEIZA : Jurnal Ekonomi Islam Az-Zain

    This study examines the practice of digital labor leasing on freelance platforms from the perspective of fiqh ijarah. It aims to evaluate contract validity, worker protection, and Sharia compliance while proposing a conceptual Islamic governance framework for digital labor relations in the gig economy. A qualitative method with an Islamic legal phenomenology design was employed, supported by participatory observation, document analysis, and conceptual–propositional analysis. The findings indicate that although digital ijarah generally fulfills the essential elements of a valid contract, significant concerns remain regarding wage transparency, social protection, dispute resolution, and algori

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