Earnings volatility and worker well-being in Dhaka’s gig economy

Precarity, platform governance, and urban livelihoods in Bangladesh

Bibliographic Data

ID24029036
AuthorsAsad Noor (0000-0002-9744-5019, Green University of Bangladesh, corresponding author), Md Sabbir Hossain (0009-0003-2091-6809, Green University of Bangladesh), Md Sharukh Jaman Khan (Green University of Bangladesh)
Year2026
Publication date2026-08-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00219096261467867
OpenAlexW7202037104
LanguageEN
References cited15

This study examines earnings volatility and worker well-being among ride-hailing and delivery workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Drawing on a survey of 512 workers, earnings diaries, and qualitative interviews, the article conceptualizes platform work as digitally reorganized informality. Quantile regression and SEM-based association analysis show that multi-homing and tenure are associated with lower earnings volatility, whereas payment frictions, long hours, and perceived algorithmic management are associated with higher volatility. Earnings volatility is also linked to greater psychological distress and lower well-being, with heat and congestion intensifying these associations. The findings highlight earnings stability as a key labor governance issue in South Asian platform economies.

Corporate governance · Earnings · Livelihood · Payment · Quantile regression · Survey data collection · Volatility (finance) · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Sharing Economy and Platforms · Transportation and Mobility Innovations

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