Earnings volatility and worker well-being in Dhaka’s gig economy: Precarity, platform governance, and urban livelihoods in Bangladesh

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.