The gig economy — characterised by short-term contracts, platform-mediated work, and the absence of traditional employment relationships — now employs a significant portion of the workforce in most developed economies. Its proponents argue it offers genuine flexibility: workers choose their hours, their clients, and their pace.

Critics counter that this freedom is largely illusory. Algorithmic management means workers are monitored, rated, and deactivated by software with little recourse. The misclassification of employees as independent contractors allows platforms to avoid paying minimum wage guarantees, sick pay, pensions, and other statutory benefits.

The legal landscape is shifting. Courts in several countries — notably the UK, France, and Spain — have begun reclassifying gig workers as employees or a new intermediate category with partial rights. In Spain, the so-called Riders' Law now requires food delivery platforms to directly employ their riders.

The underlying tension is one of asymmetric power. Platforms set the terms; workers accept or leave. Without collective bargaining mechanisms, individual gig workers have little leverage. The challenge for policymakers is to preserve genuine flexibility — which many workers value — while dismantling the precarity that too often accompanies it.