Gig-dependent or just gigging? Examining the gig economy’s structural characteristics on food delivery couriers

Purpose
This study explores how the gig economy’s structural characteristics, specifically within platform-based food delivery, have a differential impact on workers’ experiences. The paper aims to provide a nuanced understanding of platform work by contrasting the experiences of gig-dependent workers, who rely fully on gig work for income, with casual giggers, who engage in gig work with less financial dependence.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study approach draws on 37 semi-structured interviews. It includes non-participatory observations of meetings and interactions within social media groups. Data were coded thematically, following an abductive approach.

Findings
The study finds that gig-dependent workers experience significant financial instability, job insecurity and illusory autonomy. Casual giggers, while benefiting from the flexibility of gig work, also face financial challenges but are shielded by their primary employment. The illusion of autonomy in gig work is revealed as a key issue, with both groups struggling to balance flexibility with financial stability. The study highlights how platform-based food delivery work fosters precarious working conditions, with algorithmic management exacerbating job insecurity.

Research limitations/implications
This study, based in one urban context, may not reflect gig work in rural or international settings. While including both gig-dependent and casual workers, the sample lacks full intersectional depth, omitting factors like gender and migration. Focusing on food delivery also limits insights into other gig sectors. Future research should explore how economic reliance shapes collective action and how experiences shift over time. Longitudinal studies can track transitions in dependency, while cross-sector and cross-country comparisons would clarify how institutional contexts – such as labour laws or welfare systems – affect gig workers’ autonomy, precarity and capacity to resist exploitative conditions.

Practical implications
Our findings raise significant implications for platform companies operating ultra-flexible recruitment models. While these models promise autonomy and opportunity, they frequently produce diminished earnings, intensified competition and limited worker discretion, particularly for gig-dependent workers. From a managerial standpoint, this strategy may prove unsustainable. If casual giggers opt out due to increased financial volatility and gig-dependent workers experience burnout or demand stronger protections, the platform workforce may become increasingly fragmented and unstable. Platform managers should therefore take steps to address these emerging risks. This includes improving income predictability through clearer communication of earnings structures, limiting workforce oversaturation and increasing transparency in algorithmic allocation systems. Additionally, the study highlights how workers counteract isolation by forming informal peer communities, such as the FDCG. Supporting these bottom-up networks through voluntary, peer-led communication channels could improve worker engagement and morale. More broadly, platform managers should move beyond a one-size-fits-all approach by recognising the differing needs and expectations of casual and dependent gig workers. Failure to do so may not only reinforce structural inequalities but also undermine the long-term viability of the platform model itself.

Social implications
This article explores how food delivery platforms differently impact gig-dependent workers and casual giggers. While both groups value autonomy, only casual giggers benefit from it – thanks to external supports like steady jobs or student benefits. In contrast, gig-dependent workers face algorithm-driven flexibility as a form of precarity, lacking social protections and mobility. By combining structural and resource-based perspectives, the study shows how economic need and personal constraints shape vulnerability and resilience in platform work. The findings call for greater attention to how gig work’s risks and rewards are unevenly distributed, with serious implications for policy and worker well-being.

Originality/value
This article contributes to gig work research by theorising the role of resource vulnerability in shaping differential worker experiences. It addresses a gap in the literature and expands Ashford et al.’s (2018) framework by revealing a critical tension between financial insecurity and autonomy, contributing to debates on precarious employment and algorithmic management in the gig economy.