Understanding the Landscape of Gig Workers’ Well-Being: A Bibliometric Analysis

The employment landscape has undergone a profound transformation with the emergence of the gig economy, where workers participate in flexible and non-traditional work arrangements. Given the inherently precarious nature of gig work, this shift has brought to light the importance of prioritizing the well-being of gig workers. Evaluating the current research on gig workers’ well-being is crucial for informing global health and governmental policies. This study aims to analyze peer-reviewed literature published globally to assess the current understanding of gig workers’ well-being and identify research gaps. The Scopus database was utilized to collect peer-reviewed journal articles from 2000 to 2023. Experts from the relevant field curated keywords such as “Well-being”, “Gig Workers”, “Freelancers”, and “Temporary Workers”, validating the search strategy. A meticulous database search yielded 862 scholarly articles for analysis. Bibliometric analysis, conducted using R studio, examined trends in gig workers’ well-being literature, including research growth and citation patterns, authors’ productivity, journal impact, geographical distribution, keywords, and thematic areas. Additionally, VOSviewer was employed for keyword co-occurrence on the same dataset. It is worth noting that around two-fifths (41.99%) of 862 documents were published in the last four years, indicating a recent surge in research in the field. These publications involved the contributions of 1834 authors, distributed across 616 different sources from 2000 to 2023. Only 15.15% of the documents were authored by a single individual, while the majority (84.85%) were multi-authored articles. On average, each document had 2.34 authors, indicating a collaborative research approach. However, there was relatively limited participation from Asian countries such as India, Australia, South Africa, and China, suggesting potential areas for increased research involvement in these regions. By thoroughly examining existing research, the study offers a nuanced perspective on the current state of knowledge and highlights the need to address geographical disparities in research on gig workers’ well-being. Alongside identifying key contributors and themes in the field, this study provides valuable insights to guide future research directions and shape policy decisions. By highlighting geographical disparities in research focus, the study underscores the importance of understanding diverse contexts and experiences of gig workers worldwide. Overall, this research is a valuable resource for scholars and practitioners seeking to navigate the complexities of the gig economy and advocate for gig workers’ welfare.