Spotlighting platform-based gig work research: toward a common good approach and implications for research in China

There has been rapid growth in the digitally enabled gig economy and associated non-standard employment. Extant research on gig work has primarily focused on employment issues, the labor process and, more recently, human resource management (HRM) and workers' behavior. It is now accepted that HRM and, by extension, strategic HRM, are relevant to independent work without an employment relationship or a defined employer. This perspective paper provides an overview of the status quo of research on digital-platform-based gig employment and the implications of this development for the workers and organizations hiring gig workers. It also outlines how HRM researchers may reframe research in this area and offers suggestions for future research in the Chinese context. We call for a return to the pluralistic perspective of HRM, underpinned by a common good approach, embracing a broad set of actors, especially the state. We advocate that strategic HRM should adopt a human-centered approach and embrace employment ethics and job quality to contribute to the common good.