Reimagining Work Design in Contemporary Employment: The Disruptive Rise of the Gig Economy

This chapter explores the dynamic landscape of work and the disruptive nature of the gig economy in redefining work design norms. The chapter reviews key shifts in employment paradigms as traditional, full-time roles decline, while non-standard work arrangements gain prominence. Specifically, the chapter focuses on the emergence of the gig economy—driven by digital platforms that connect freelance workers with short-term task opportunities—as a significant and disruptive force in the labor market. Despite offering flexibility and low entry barriers, concerns persist about the precarious and fragmented nature of gig work. The chapter will delve into the gig economy’s emergence, its most prominent work forms, and crucially, its impact on work design norms, and then review debates on gig workers’ lived experiences, classification issues, and the control-based strategies used by platform organizations. The chapter concludes by outlining scholarly and practical implications surrounding key work design issues in this domain, in addition to considering potential remedies as the gig economy continues to grow.