Navigating job quality in the gig economy: a bibliometric analysis (2015–2025)

Document Type

Review

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Abstract

This study maps how job quality is examined within the gig economy by analysing 144 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and April 2025. Using bibliometric techniques, it identifies publication trends, leading contributors and the main conceptual clusters shaping the field. The findings show rapid growth after 2018 and heightened attention during the post-pandemic period, driven by concerns over precarity, platform control and worker well-being. Two major strands dominate the literature: governance and control research on regulation, algorithmic management and decent work, and worker-centred studies focusing on autonomy, satisfaction and identity. Although job quality has become a core theme, definitions remain inconsistent, and evidence is concentrated in high-income economies. By consolidating dispersed insights and highlighting emerging areas such as high-skill remote freelancing and global platform contracting, this review provides a clearer foundation for future research and policy discussions on sustainable and equitable gig work conditions.

Publication Title

Cogent Business and Management

DOI

10.1080/23311975.2026.2619205

Volume

13

Issue

1

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