Platform-based gig work, such as ride-hailing, food delivery and app-based services, have become an integral form of flexible employment in India, but these earnings depend on demand fluctuations, dynamic pricing and algorithmic task allocation, and workers have weak safety nets such as insurance and retirement cover. This study examines the effect of income uncertainty, financial resilience and well-being in an integrated model. The mediating role of financial resilience are tested among Indian gig workers. This study therefore aims to examine the relationship between income uncertainty and financial fragility using the mediating role of financial resilience and observe on platform support and safety on the well-being of gig workers. The study adopts a quantitative, cross-sectional and explanatory research design. Primary data were collected in person through a structured 30-item questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale from 95 valid respondents working on delivery, ride-hailing and home-service platforms in Bengaluru such as Swiggy; Zomato; Ola; Uber; Rapido; and Urban Company. The data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. The analysis followed a sequence of measurement model assessment (loadings, reliability, convergent and discriminant validity), structural model assessment (VIF and R²), and bootstrapping with 5,000 samples to test path significance and mediation. The findings show that income uncertainty are significantly and positively related to financial resilience (β = .553, p < .001), but financial resilience does not significantly mediate the relationship between income uncertainty and well-being (indirect β = .017, p = .725). Platform support and safety strongly predict well-being (β = .926, p < .001; R² = .856), although the high HTMT value (.983) indicates construct overlap and calls for cautious interpretation. We concluded that, platform-level support matters more for well-being than individual financial coping, which points to worker-support and platform-policy interventions. The study is limited by its cross-sectional design, small single-city sample and model-fit indices (SRMR = .122; NFI = .765).

Keywords: Gig economy, income uncertainty, financial resilience, well-being, platform support.