Identifying Barriers to Platform Labor Regulation from the Worker Perspective
Keywords:
Gig economy, platform labor, labor regulation, worker perspective, algorithmic management, legal ambiguityAbstract
This study aimed to explore the perceived barriers to regulating platform-based labor from the perspective of workers in Tehran’s gig economy. This qualitative study employed a descriptive-interpretive design using semi-structured interviews with 23 platform workers in Tehran, selected through purposive sampling to capture diversity across platform sectors. Participants included ride-hailing drivers, delivery couriers, domestic service workers, and freelance digital laborers, all with at least six months of experience. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. The data were transcribed and analyzed thematically using NVivo software (version 12). Themes were generated through open, axial, and selective coding processes to identify patterns related to regulatory challenges as experienced by platform workers. Analysis revealed four major thematic categories: legal and policy ambiguities, platform power and control, economic precarity and dependency, and social and cultural constraints. Legal uncertainties surrounding worker classification and weak enforcement mechanisms hindered regulatory clarity. Platform-controlled algorithmic systems and opaque rule enforcement limited worker autonomy and due process. Economic instability, high operating costs, and the absence of social protections further exposed workers to vulnerability. Social stigma, gendered risks, digital illiteracy, and a lack of worker community compounded these regulatory challenges. Participants consistently described feeling excluded from legal protections, invisible in policy discourse, and powerless against platform-imposed conditions. The findings underscore the inadequacy of current regulatory frameworks in addressing the lived realities of platform workers. Effective regulation must move beyond binary classifications of employment status to embrace the hybrid nature of gig work, incorporating worker voice, algorithmic accountability, and inclusive social protections. Addressing both structural and cultural dimensions of precarity is essential to creating fairer, more resilient regulatory environments for digital labor.
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