Bridging the Protection Gap: A Systematic Analysis of Social Security Deficits in the Gig Economy and Organisational–Governmental Pathways Toward Inclusive Platform Work

ABSTRACT

The rapid globalisation of the platform economy has produced a structurally significant yet chronically under-protected labour segment: the gig worker. Worldwide, an estimated 154 to 435 million individuals now participate in platform-mediated work, constituting between 4.4% and 12.5% of the global labour force (World Bank, 2024). Despite this scale, the vast majority of these workers remain excluded from fundamental social protections — including unemployment insurance, health coverage, pension entitlements, and occupational safety provisions — because dominant legal frameworks continue to classify them as independent contractors rather than employees. This paper conducts a systematic analytical review of the social security gaps confronting gig and platform workers, with a dual focus: first, diagnosing the structural mechanisms that perpetuate these gaps; and second, identifying evidence-based pathways through which organisations and governments can extend meaningful employment protections and social security benefits to this workforce. Drawing on secondary data from legislative developments across India, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil, and guided theoretically by Segmented Labour Market Theory and the Capability Approach, this study identifies four thematic dimensions of the protection gap: legal classification deficits, income and welfare insecurity, algorithmic management and power asymmetry, and regulatory fragmentation. The study further develops an Integrated Protection Framework synthesising portable benefits models, tripartite funding mechanisms, algorithmic transparency mandates, and sector-specific welfare boards as actionable policy prescriptions. The findings carry direct implications for human resource management scholars, labour economists, platform companies, and policymakers navigating the governance of the emerging digital labour market.