Algorithmic Transparency in Gig Work: Trends and Insights from a Bibliometric Review

The introduction of digital platforms replaced the rigid employment structure with flexible work options, leading to the rise of non-standardized employment (NSE). Although, digital platforms have created many job opportunities with flexible work options, these platforms regulate, and control the workers’ tasks, through a centralized regulation called “algorithmic regulation”. However, these processes are hidden from the workers, leading to algorithmic opacity. Though, flexible work arrangements were the main feature of NSE, the algorithmic opacity transforms this flexible work into a controlled environment where workers lack both knowledge and power over the systems. Thus, there arises the need for transparency to workers, which global organizations have brought to the forefront of the policy, creating an immediate priority for research in this field. To explore, the evolution of algorithmic transparency in platform work, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using an initial search on the Scopus database with keywords “Algorithmic transparency”, “Algorithmic opacity, and “Gig” or “Platform”, which yielded 119 documents in total. After the inclusion and exclusion criteria, thirty-three documents were retained and analyzed. The findings revealed a growth pattern in algorithmic transparency, helping to identify the key contributors to the study. The first paper was published in 2020, with an annual growth rate of 74.11%. An exponential rise was found in 2024. The research field is an interdisciplinary field with three dimensions, such as Behavioural and Psychological impact, Legal analysis, and Organizational and business strategy.