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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM66643
Volume:
10 |
8 |
Aug 2026
Pages:
1-14
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
COMMERCE
Government Arts College, Nandanam, Chennai-600 035, India.
Department of Commerce,
Government Arts College, Nandanam, Chennai-600 035, India.
The rapid expansion of the gig economy has transformed employment patterns across sectors, including healthcare, by enabling flexible, technology-driven service delivery. This study examines the role of healthcare gig workers in Chennai and their contribution to transforming urban healthcare through flexible employment. A descriptive research design was adopted, and both primary and secondary data were utilised. Primary data were collected from 160 healthcare gig workers in Chennai City using a structured questionnaire. The respondents were selected through proportionate random sampling. Data were analysed using percentage analysis, multiple regression, Chi-square test, and Pearson correlation. The findings reveal that caregivers and home nurses constitute the largest segments of healthcare gig workers in Chennai. Multiple regression analysis indicates that work flexibility, income stability, social protection, digital platform support, and occupational safety significantly influence the working conditions of healthcare gig workers. The Chi-square test confirms a significant association between the category of healthcare gig workers and the challenges they encounter. Pearson correlation analysis further demonstrates a strong positive relationship between healthcare accessibility, patient convenience, continuity of care, service quality, and the contribution of healthcare gig workers to urban healthcare services. The study concludes that healthcare gig workers have become an integral part of Chennai's healthcare ecosystem by improving access to care, continuity of care, patient convenience, and service quality. However, strengthening social protection, employment security, occupational safety, and digital platform governance is essential to ensure the sustainable growth of the healthcare gig economy and enhance the welfare of healthcare gig workers.
KEYWORDS
The study concludes that healthcare gig workers have emerged as a vital component of Chennai's urban healthcare system by providing flexible, accessible, and patient-centred healthcare services. Home nurses, physiotherapists, caregivers, medical delivery personnel, and telemedicine consultants have significantly expanded the reach of healthcare beyond traditional hospital settings, particularly in meeting the needs of elderly individuals, patients with chronic illnesses, and those requiring home-based care. The findings reveal that favourable working conditions are influenced by factors such as work flexibility, income stability, social protection, digital platform support, and occupational safety. At the same time, healthcare gig workers continue to face several challenges, including inadequate social security, income uncertainty, long working hours, occupational risks, and limited employment protection. These challenges vary across different categories of healthcare gig workers, indicating the need for occupation-specific policy interventions. The study also establishes that healthcare gig workers make a significant contribution to urban healthcare services by improving healthcare accessibility, patient convenience, continuity of care, and service quality. Their growing role demonstrates the potential of the gig economy to complement conventional healthcare systems and support the increasing demand for home-based and technology-enabled healthcare services. Overall, the study emphasizes that the sustainable growth of the healthcare gig economy in Chennai depends on strengthening labour protection, expanding social security coverage, improving digital platform governance, and ensuring safe and fair working conditions. Collaborative efforts by government agencies, healthcare institutions, digital health platforms, and labour organisations are essential to enhance worker welfare while maintaining high standards of patient care. Such measures will enable healthcare gig workers to continue contributing effectively to a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable urban healthcare system.
Indira A, Mangaiyarkaras (2025), Chennai’s Gig Worker Lounges: A Model For Urban Worker Welfare, International Journal For Innovative Research In Multidisciplinary Field, ISSN(O): 2455-0620 [ Impact Factor: 9.47 ] Monthly, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed, Indexed Journal with IC Value: 86.87 Volume - 11, Issue - 07, July – 2025. Rajagopalan, S. Gig Work and Worker Vulnerability in India’s Platform Economy. SpringerLink. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12116-022-09350-y. Accessed 28 June 2025. Santhosh Kumar, Vidhya Lakshmi, Raja, Muthupandian (2025), Pseudo Promises and Sustained Strain: A Study on Gig Workers in Chennai’s App-Based Economy, International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research 7(4), DOI:10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i04.49847. Gig Economy in India: Transforming Employment Dynamics. Journal of Innovation and Economic Research. https://jier.org/index.php/journal/article/download/2475/2039/4384. Accessed 28 June 2025. A Study on the Gig Workers in Chennai City with Focus on Food Delivery. IJFMR, Volume 6, Issue 3, May–June 2024. https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2023/6/9766.pdf. Accessed 28 June 2025. GIG Economy in Tamil Nadu: The Role of Artificial Intelligence and Global Digital Platforms. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392718158. Accessed 28 June 2025.
Publication Date
8/10/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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