TITLE:
The Gig Economy: Insights into Worker Experiences in the UK and Saudi Arabia
AUTHORS:
Yousef A. Alturkey
KEYWORDS:
United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Gig Economy, Platforms, Digital Labour, Institutional Context, Future of Work
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.12 No.3,
May
28,
2024
ABSTRACT: The present paper critically examines the operational practices of gig economy platforms in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, using data gathered from 21 semi-structured interviews with gig workers in both countries. Leveraging frameworks based on institutional theory, the study reveals that these platforms, loosely termed “institutional chameleons”, do in fact, adapt to different socioeconomic and regulatory contexts, yet their policies do not necessarily align with the well-being of the workers. The UK context expectedly highlights issues like limited work opportunities, inadequate wages, and a lack of robust social protections, challenging the prevailing narratives of work freedom and flexibility in gig work. However, it also unexpectedly unveils a certain degree of job stability and longer, satisfying tenures amongst the workers interviewed, suggesting a nuanced landscape of gig work in the UK. Contrastingly, in Saudi Arabia, the gig economy under lax regulation exposes a landscape fraught with precariousness, instability, and exploitation, particularly for expatriate labor. Moreover, due to highly restrictive labor policies, gig platforms operate in ways that not only disregard but may actively discriminate against their workforce. These findings signify the urgent need for updated labor protection frameworks that are sensitive to the unique challenges and diverse operational models of digital labor and which anticipate the changing nature of work.