Employee Relations in the Gig Economy: Managing Contract Workers in Nigerian Digital Platforms

This study examines employee relations challenges in Nigeria's emerging gig economy, focusing on the management of contract workers on digital platforms such as ride-hailing, food delivery, and freelance service marketplaces operating in Lagos and Abuja. The rapid growth of platform work in Nigeria has created a new employment category that falls outside traditional employment relations frameworks, raising critical questions about worker rights, HR management obligations, and regulatory adequacy. A professional applied research design was employed, drawing data from 90 gig workers, platform HR managers, and labour relations experts through surveys and semi-structured interviews. The Fissured Workplace Theory, the Standard Employment Relationship Model, and recent ILO reports on non-standard employment provide the theoretical framing. Findings reveal that gig workers in Nigeria's digital economy face significant rights deficits including lack of minimum wage protection, absence of social security contributions, no grievance resolution mechanisms, and algorithmic performance management that workers find opaque and unfair. Despite these deficiencies, gig work provides critical income flexibility valued by many participants, particularly students and caregivers. Platform companies are found to exercise considerable behavioural control over gig workers while legally classifying them as independent contractors to avoid employment obligations. Recommendations include a legal category for dependent contractors in Nigerian labour law, mandatory platform registration with the National Social Insurance Trust Fund, and digital worker representative bodies recognized by the government. This study contributes to the emerging literature on gig work HR governance in Africa. Keywords: gig economy, contract workers, digital platforms, employee relations, Nigeria