The Impacts of Platform Quality on Gig Workers’ Autonomy and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Gig economy jobs rely heavily on the use of platforms including mobile applications. Even though such platforms are necessary to participate in the gig economy, we know very little about how the quality of these platforms affects gig workers. Drawing from a survey of Uber drivers, in this paper we examine the impacts of platform quality on gig workers’ job autonomy and job satisfaction. Preliminary results suggest that gig workers working in the high quality of platforms are more likely to have greater job autonomy and satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature by identifying platform quality as an important factor of gig workers’ job autonomy and satisfaction and suggesting possible applications of the preliminary findings in future research.