The future of gig work: Key issues, solutions, and future research directions

While the scale of the gig economy has been exaggerated, its emergence and continued development have challenged established thought and prevailing truths regarding the nature of employment, working relationships, and workforce management. Drawing on the extant literature, in this final chapter we postulate on the trajectory of gig working and identify critical issues anticipated to be especially formative to its evolution. Specifically, we focus attention on workers’ reactions to algorithmic management and the implications of this for creating more effective working relationships. Relatedly, we highlight concerns regarding job quality within gig-working arrangements and explore opportunities where changes can be implemented to bring about positive change for all connected parties in the future.