Corporate Accountability in the Gig Economy: Re-examining Labour Law to Prevent Digital Slavery

Jitendra Singh Kohli; Lakshmi Priya Vinjamuri

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.76774

Corporate Accountability in the Gig Economy: Re-examining Labour Law to Prevent Digital Slavery

Author(s)	Mr. Jitendra Singh Kohli, Prof. Dr. Lakshmi Priya Vinjamuri
Country	India
Abstract	This paper examines the growing problem of corporate accountability in the gig economy by critically analysing how digital labour platforms exercise employer-like control while avoiding employer-like legal responsibilities. It argues that the platform economy, often celebrated for flexibility and autonomy, in reality produces a deeply unequal labour structure marked by algorithmic control, economic dependency, surveillance, and lack of social protection. The study shows that gig workers, though formally classified as independent contractors, are functionally subjected to pricing control, performance monitoring, automated penalties, and deactivation mechanisms that closely resemble managerial authority. In this context, the paper uses the concept of “digital slavery” as a normative framework to describe labour conditions shaped by coercive algorithmic management, absence of bargaining power, and structural precarity. It further analyses how platform companies rely on contractual misclassification, corporate structuring, and the legal fiction of neutrality to separate control from liability. Through a comparative study of the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, and India, the paper demonstrates that while several jurisdictions have attempted to regulate gig work, most responses remain incomplete and fail to fully address platform accountability. The paper finally proposes a reconstructed labour law framework based on economic dependency rather than traditional employment classification. It advocates recognition of dependent contractor status, platform liability for worker welfare, algorithmic transparency, social security obligations, and specialised grievance mechanisms. The central argument of the paper is that unless labour law evolves to address digitally mediated control and platform-based asymmetry, the gig economy risks normalising exploitative labour conditions under the guise of innovation and flexibility
Keywords	Gig economy; corporate accountability; digital slavery; algorithmic management; labour law; platform workers; economic dependency; worker misclassification; social security; platform regulation
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-11
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.76774

View / Download PDF File

E-ISSN 2582-2160

doi

CrossRef DOI is assigned to each research paper published in our journal.

IJFMR DOI prefix is
10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads

Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 2 Cover Page Vol 8 Isu 1 Cover Page Vol 7 Isu 6

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA

About IJFMR Fees & Payment Current Issue Publication Archive	Submit Research Paper Track Submission Status Publication Guidelines Publication Ethics Peer Review & Plagiarism	Join as a Reviewer Editors & Reviewers Reviewer Referral Program Get Reviewer Membership Certi.	Website/Journal Policies Usage Policy Content Policies Privacy Policy

Contact Us		+91-9687-828-838	editor@ijfmr.com

International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Corporate Accountability in the Gig Economy: Re-examining Labour Law to Prevent Digital Slavery

Share this