Job Perceptions among Gig Workers: The Perspective of Online Seller

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the gig workers’ performance over the job design in the gig economy. A qualitative research design is employed to achieve the research objective. Data for this study were collected from online sellers in Malaysia using online interviews. The phenomenology approach is adopted to analyze the interview data with online sellers who represent the role holder’s perspectives. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the interview data. The exploration of gig works implementation results in different perspectives among gig workers. Based on the respondents’ experiences, the findings suggest that the income and skills possessed by the gig workers are the main themes that differentiate job performance for online sellers in the gig economy. The generation of income with additional skills possession plays a vital role in attracting positive perceptions and performance measurement of the gig workers. In addition, gig workers also related their performance to other factors including flexible time, sales volume, fast interaction and transaction, knowledge skills, effort, and innovation throughout their involvement in the gig work. Theoretically, this study contributes to the job performance measurement among gig workers with different perspectives due to fewer employment relations occurring between employers and employees. Practically, the gig workers hold their own perceptions with regard to job performance to assist them in completing their jobs and adapting to the gig economy conditions. The findings provide insights to related players in the gig economy to formulate better work design and expectations in ensuring that the adaptation to this new kind of marketplace benefits both employers and employees.