A Sociological Study on Work Culture and Livelihood Pattern of Gig Workers of Gig Economic Sectors in Chennai City, Tamil Nadu, India
Authors
Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Madras, Chennai (India)
Article Information
DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS.2025.91100014
Subject Category: Economics
Volume/Issue: 9/11 | Page No: 185-201
Publication Timeline
Submitted: 2025-11-10
Accepted: 2025-11-20
Published: 2025-11-27
Abstract
A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements. This is the collection of markets that match providers to consumers on a gig or job basis in support on on-demand commerce. In the basic model, gig workers inter into formal agreements with on- demand companies to provide services to the company’s clients. The study has made an attempt to assess the Socio-economic standards, demographic profile, the Problems and challenges related to the work culture and the Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats of the Gig workers in selected areas of Chennai city. The study is descriptive in nature and it focused on the issues of gig workers through both primary and secondary data sources. The samples comprising 100 were chosen by using purposive sampling technique and the descriptive analysis was employed to analyse the data with necessary graphical representation. The study has identified the themes such as educational background, safety concern, work load, gender role, work culture, health of the workers of gig economic sector in Chennai city. A comprehensive Sociological approach was launched in this present study with appropriate methods and tools. The study concludes with theoretical application major findings and suggestions as per the objectives used.
Keywords
Gig economy, Livelihood, workers, work culture
Downloads
References
1. Abraham, R., & Shrivastava, A. (2019). How comparable are India’s labour market surveys. Report, Centre for Sustainable Employment, Azim Premji University [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
2. Business Standard (2024, November 28). India's gig economy could add 90 mn jobs enabled by large multinationals. https://www.business-standard.com/economy/news/india-s-gig-economy-could-add-90-mn-jobs-enabled-by-large-multinationals-124112800721_1.html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
3. Charlton, E. (2024, November). What gig economy workers? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/what-gig-economy-workers/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
4. Charlton, E. (2024, November). What gig economy workers? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/11/what-gig-economy-workers/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
5. Chowdhry, B. (2020). Protect poor by creating jobs in formal sector. The New Indian Express. May 8, 2020. https://www.newindianexpress.com/ opinions/2020/may/08/protect-poor-by-creating-jobs-in-formal-sector-2140563. html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
6. Dhand, S., Kar, R., Singh, A., Pathak, U. K., Pandey, A., Subramanian, J., & Randhawa, S. K. (2024). Transformational HR for Generation Z: Gig Economy Efficiency and Adaptability. In Global Work Arrangements and Outsourcing in the Age of AI (pp. 399-420). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-1270-5.ch022 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
7. Digital Future Society (2019), The Future of Work in the Digital Era: The Rise of Labour Platforms, file:///C:/Users/nsing/Downloads/The_future_of_work_in_the_digital_era.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
8. Djankov, S. and F. Saliola (2018), The Changing Nature of Work, Journal of International Affairs, 72(1): 57-74, doi:10.2307/26588343 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
9. Donovan, S.A., D.H. Bradley and J.O. Shimabukuro (2016), What Does the Gig Economy Mean for Workers? Congressional Research Service Report, 7-5700, https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
10. Gobinda Roy and Avinash K Srivastava (2020) “Future of Gig Economy : Opportunities and Challenges” IMI Connect Volume 9. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
11. Gross, S., G. Musgrave and L. Janciute (2018), What’s the Issue? In Well-Being and Mental Health in the Gig Economy: Policy Perspectives on Precarity (pp. 7-11), London: University of Westminster Press, Retrieved February 27, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv5vdf26.4 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
12. IWWAGE. (2020). India’s Emerging Gig Economy: The Future of Work for Women Workers. The Asia Foundation. https: //iwwage.org/wp-content/ uploads/2020/08/IWWAGEGig-Economy- Report.pdf. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
13. Jamie Woodcock (2020) “The Gig Economy: A Critical Introduction”, Polity Press. Cambridge UK. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
14. Kenney, M. and J. Zysman (2020, February 18), The Rise of the Platform Economy, Retrieved from https://issues.org/the-rise-of-the-platform-economy/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
15. Manyika, J., S. Lund, J. Bughin, K. Robinson, J. Mischke and D. Mahajan (2016), Independent Work: Choice, Necessity and the Gig Economy, Mckinsey Global Institute, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/employment-and-growth/independent-work- choice-necessity-and-the-gig-economy# [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
16. Ministry of Labor and Employment Report, Government of India (2024) [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
17. Radhakrishnan, Ananya (2020), The Future of India’s Gig Economy, https://www.indianfolk.com/future-indias-gig-economy/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
18. Riley, J. (2020), Brand New ‘Sharing’ or Plain Old ‘Sweating’?: A Proposal for Regulating the New ‘Gig Economy’, In Levy R., M. O’brien, S. Rice, P. Ridge, and M. Thornton (Eds.), New Directions for Law in Australia: Essays in Contemporary Law Reform (pp. 59-70), Australia: ANU Press, Retrieved February 27, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable /j.ctt1ws7wbh.9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
19. Salman, S.H. and B. Varsha (2019), Delhi, and Not Bengaluru, is the Place to be for Gig Economy Workers, https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/delhi-and-not-bengaluru-is-the- place-to-be-for-gig-economy-workers-1555013405684.html [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
20. Sindwani, P. (2019), 6 Million Indians will be in the Gig Economy within Two Years – That’s Nearly Twice the Current Size, Business Insider, India, https://www.businessinsider.in/6-million- indians-will-be-in-the-gig-economy-within-two-years-thats-nearly-twice-the-current- size/articleshow/69854133.cms [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
21. Wood, A.J., M. Graham, V. Lehdonvirta (2019), Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy, Work, Employment and Society, 33(1): 56-75. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]
Metrics
Views & Downloads
Similar Articles
- Impact of Foreign Direct Investment in India
- Issues Involved in Digitalisation Special Reference to Indian Tourism Growth
- Relationship Marketing and Customer Loyalty in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Industry in Nairobi County
- Financial Literacy or Financial Inclusion? Which is Which, What is What—To Achieve Uganda’s 10-Fold Economic Growth By 2040
- Harnessing Natural Gas for Economic Transformation: Overcoming the Regulatory and Infrastructural Bottlenecks in Nigeria