Employment Status Classification of Gig Workers and Access to Statutory Benefit

Abstract

The emergence of the gig economy has changed the structure of employment relations by bringing about flexible employment and digital employment. There is an increasing tendency for gig workers to offer their services using digital platforms and in employment relations which can be different from the traditional ones. However, the ambiguity concerning the employment relation may have implications for the access of gig workers to statutory benefits, including social security, health care, insurance, maternity protection, pensions, and compensation. This paper will examine the classification of gig workers as to various types of employment relations and will assess how the classification impacts their access to statutory benefits. The paper will pay attention to important factors such as control of employers, autonomy of workers, economic dependency, contracts of employment, involvement of platforms, and type of work performed. These are some of the areas that have been discussed under the issue of gig work in terms of eligibility for the benefit, income volatility, awareness level, portability of benefit, platform accountability, and regulatory implementation. There is also an examination of the methods being applied to strengthen social protections without undermining the flexibility that comes with gig employment. Some of the lessons from this analysis are the need to come up with employment classification strategies that take into account the unique nature of platform employment while still protecting the employees.