This study refines the understanding of gig workers’ experiences by showing that stress and job

satisfaction can be parallel rather than mutually exclusive outcomes of gig work. By ‘gig work’

we mean piecemeal work using digital apps and platforms as part of the job. Using international

survey data (N=2,385), we examine how demographic factors, socio-economic circumstances,

and work intensity are associated with both stress and job satisfaction of gig workers. Our

results show that gig work can be both stressful and satisfying, with high work pace and

physical activity enhancing satisfaction without increasing stress. These findings challenge the

assumption that by default precarity leads to dissatisfaction, and they underscore the need to

measure both stress and satisfaction of gig work. The exploratory study contributes to extant

research on platform work by offering a nuanced perspective on gig workers’ well-being, with

implications for platform design and policy to improve working conditions in the gig economy.