The organisation and experience of work in the gig economy

Abstract

The gig economy has captured public and policy interest and is growing as an area of academic inquiry, prompting debate about the future of work, labour regulation, and the impact of technology and job quality. This special issue provides a timely intervention into that debate with this article providing an introductory overview, positioning the articles within a comprehensive literature review of existing scholarship on the gig economy. These articles add to our understanding of the organisation and experience of work in the digitally enabled gig economy in a variety of national settings. They explore aspects such as job quality, forms of collectivity, identity development, and algorithmic management and control. This article also delineates avenues for further research regarding conditions for gig workers, the impact of gig work and information, technology and gig work.