Navigating Precarity: Health and Safety Challenges in Southeast Asia’s Gig Economy Food Delivery Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-0107Keywords:
Algorithmic Management, Corporate Accountability, Courier Safety, Gig Economy, Food DeliveryAbstract
This article examines the health and safety challenges of food delivery couriers in Southeast Asia within the gig economy, focusing on the roles of third-party platforms, like GrabFood, Foodpanda, and GoFood. It critically assesses how these platforms navigate courier safety amidst algorithmic management and precarious employment, employing a framework to evaluate corporate commitment, operational practices, and worker support. The study scrutinizes public corporate reports to reveal the gap between companies’ safety claims and actual practices, advocating for more genuinely worker-centric safety measures. By highlighting discrepancies in the operationalization of health and safety standards, the research contributes to discussions on gig economy labor conditions, emphasizing the need for platforms to prioritize worker welfare alongside operational efficiency. This work calls for a shift towards sustainable models that do not compromise courier health and safety, filling a gap in the literature on the real-world impacts of algorithmic management and precarious work.
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