Decentralized Gig Economy: A Systematic Review and Reference Architecture for Trust Less Freelancing

Abstract

The global gig economy has witnessed exponential growth, contributing significantly to the digital labor market. However, traditional centralized freelancing platforms (e.g., Upwork, Fiverr) are plagued by high intermediary fees (up to 20%), delayed settlements, and opaque dispute resolution mechanisms. This paper presents a comprehensive review of blockchain based alternatives, analyzing the efficacy of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) in mitigating these centralization bottlenecks. We critically examine existing smart contract based escrow mechanisms and identify key challenges in scalability and user adoption. Based on this review, we propose “Delance,” a hybrid Web3 architecture that utilizes the Polygon network to minimize gas fees while ensuring instant, trustless settlements. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed architecture reduces transaction costs by 98% compared to traditional Web2 platforms, validating the feasibility of a decentralized freelance ecosystem.