Effects of social job characteristics on gig workers' well-being : The mediating role of off-the-job embeddedness

Tools

Lin, Pearl M.C. and Au, Wai Ching Wilson and Baum, Tom and Xia, Summer Juan (2025) Effects of social job characteristics on gig workers' well-being : The mediating role of off-the-job embeddedness. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 130. 104241. ISSN 0278-4319 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2025.104241)

[thumbnail of Lin-etal-IJHM-2025-Effects-of-social-job-characteristics-on-gig-workers-well-being]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Lin-etal-IJHM-2025-Effects-of-social-job-characteristics-on-gig-workers-well-being.pdf
Accepted Author Manuscript
License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 logo
Download (448kB)| Preview

Abstract

The gig economy, marked by flexible, short-term employment, has transformed the labor market—particularly in the hospitality sectors. This study examines the social job characteristics of gig work and these features’ effects on workers’ well-being and job embeddedness, focusing on food delivery workers in China. We conducted in-depth interviews with 25 food delivery workers to discern the social job attributes of gig work and then empirically investigated the relationships between these attributes, off-the-job embeddedness, and workers’ well-being. Five social job characteristics were identified. Using an instrument developed through qualitative analysis, structural equation modeling results suggested that the relationships between these features and workers’ well-being varied across the dimensions of social job characteristics. Our findings extend traditional job characteristics models and offer practical insights for improving gig workers’ well-being. This study provides actionable recommendations for platform operators and policymakers to enhance the gig work experience.

ORCID iDs

Lin, Pearl M.C., Au, Wai Ching Wilson, Baum, Tom ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5918-847X and Xia, Summer Juan;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)