From a "job for life" to a gig economy: An exploration of food delivery couriers in the UK

This thesis examines the construction of gig couriership in the UK and the implications it has for the future of work. Embedded in the sociology of work, the research challenges the novelty of the gig economy by examining familiar features such as the (mis)classification of employment status or the desire for ‘flexible’ work. However, the thesis also posits that the disruption caused by the gig economy is indicative of paradigmatic shift in the organisation of work and society. At the beginning of this project, the gig economy was fringe and still emerging, yet today, the gig economy is the symbol of an on-demand world and it is anticipated that the majority of people will be involved in the gig economy by the end of the 2020’s. We are living in a transformative time in the world of work, and even though the consequences of the gig economy are yet to be fully realised, it is difficult to overstate how important the gig economy is for work and economic life. Conducted during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the study uses semi-structured interviews with gig couriers in the food delivery sector from across England. Contributions of this thesis include a discussion on the methodological obstacles to studying 21st century work, a novel typology that characterises gig courier work, a discussion on new ways to conceptualise organisational socialisation, waiting and the impact of new capitalism on social and economic life.