Freedom or Fragility?: High-Skilled and Low-Skilled Gig Workers
Keywords:
Gig workers high-skilled workers low-skilled workers quality of life work life balanceAbstract
Indonesia’s rapidly expanding digital economy has accelerated the rise of the gig work model, transforming labor relations and redefining employment structures. Yet, this transformation poses a paradox between “freedom” and “fragility,” particularly when comparing high-skilled and low-skilled gig workers. This study examines how Contributory Social Security and Work–Life Balance influence the Quality of Work Life among gig workers in Jakarta. Using a mixed-methods design, quantitative data from 100 respondents were complemented by qualitative interviews to capture both statistical trends and lived experiences. The findings reveal that WLB significantly enhances QWL, while CSS alone does not directly predict QWL. However, WLB moderates this relationship, strengthening the positive impact of CSS on QWL at higher levels of balance. High-skilled workers demonstrate greater autonomy, financial stability, and self-regulation, whereas low-skilled workers experience precarity due to algorithmic control, income instability, and insufficient access to social security. These results suggest that Indonesia’s gig economy perpetuates a dualistic labor structure. Policy interventions should therefore prioritize integrating mandatory social protection schemes with measures that promote work–life integration to ensure sustainable and equitable digital employment.
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