DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR GIG WORKERS WELL-BEING IN MALAYSIA

Presenter:

Dr. Nurhafizah Zainal

Nilai University

6^TH INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE ON HUMANITIES, SOCIAL SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY 2024

Topic Outline

• Introduction
• Problem Statement
• Literature Review
• Research Questions and Research Objectives
• Methodology
• Expected Results

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Introduction

Evolving of Gig Economy in Malaysia

Problem Statement

Literature Review

Gig Workers in Malaysia

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• Gig worker: independent contractor/individuals employed under Contract for Service (Malaysia Employment Act 1955).
• However, national social security system does not cover self-employment since a social protection founded on employment has been advocated in Malaysia.
• Thus, the gig worker is unprotected under labour laws with untitled benefits compared to formal workers.

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Literature Review

Well-Being of Gig Workers

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• This study examining well-being in the perspective of job satisfaction and life satisfaction.

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Literature Review

Predictors of Well-Being

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• Financial precarity (Harun, Ali, & Khan, 2020; Apouey, Roulet, Solal, & Stabile, 2020).
• Precarious working conditions (Khairunnisa et al., 2023).
• Emotional aspects (Coffey, Nelson-Coffey, Parsley, Pluess, 2022).
• Job satisfaction (Broberg, Tagesson, & Uman, 2020).
• Demographic elements such as age, gender, and education level (Vucekovic, Avlijas, Markovic, Radulovic, Dragojevic, & Markovic 2023).

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Literature Review

Predictors of Well-Being

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• Spreitzer’s concept of psychological empowerment:
• Refers to ‘a constellation of experienced psychological states or cognition’ (Spreitzer, Kizilos, & Nason 1997, p. 681) consisting of four dimensions namely; meaning, competence, autonomy, and impact.
• The impact dimension has been dropped from the suggested framework because it is lack of relevance to gig work.

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Literature Review

Predictors of Well-Being

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• Studies have found that some individuals began to recover psychologically from the negative effects of he or she experienced (Anicich, Foulk, Osborne, Gale, & Schaerer 2020; Polizzi, Lynn, & Perry 2020).
• Such responses indicate resilience.
• External resources such as support from the government toward the welfare of gig workers may play a significant role in predicting their well-being.

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Conservation of Resource (COR) Theory

Research Questions & Research Objectives

Research Questions

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1. How do the specified factors explain gig worker’s well-being in Malaysia?
2. How do the specified factors explain resilience?
3. How do resilience mediates the linkages between specified factors and gig worker’s well-being?
4. Do government initiative support, family support, and peers support moderate the relationship between resilience and gig worker’s well-being?

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Research Objectives

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1. To examine the predictors of gig worker’s well-being in Malaysia.
2. To examine the predictors of resilience.
3. To determine the mediating effects of resilience on the linkages between specified factors and gig worker’s well-being.
4. To determine the moderating role of government initiative support, family support, and peers support on the relationship between resilience and gig worker’s well-being.

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Methodology

Methodology

Proposed Research Framework

Hypotheses

• Direct Hypotheses:
• H1: Meaning is related to gig worker’s well-being.
• H2: Competence is related to gig worker’s well-being.
• H3: Autonomy is related to gig worker’s well-being.
• H4: Precarious working conditions is related to gig worker’s well-being.
• H5: Precarious financial is related to gig worker’s well-being.
• H6: Resilience is positively related to gig worker’s well-being.

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Hypotheses

• Indirect Hypotheses:
• H7: Resilience mediates the relationship between meaning and gig worker’s well-being.
• H8: Resilience mediates the relationship between competence and gig worker’s well-being.
• H9: Resilience mediates the relationship between autonomy and gig worker’s well-being.
• H10: Resilience mediates the relationship between precarious working conditions and gig worker’s well-being.
• H11: Resilience mediates the relationship between precarious financial and gig worker’s well-being.
• H12: Government initiative support moderates the relationship between resilience and gig worker’s well-being.
• H13: Family support moderates the relationship between resilience and gig worker’s well-being.
• H14: Peers support moderates the relationship between resilience and gig worker’s well-being.

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Questionnaire Design

Expected Results