The GIG Workforce in India

The term ‘gig’ primarily refers to a job or assignment. It is most commonly used to describe work that is temporary, freelance, or independent rather than a permanent, salaried position. It first originated in 1920s as jazz slang for a single, booked musical performance. In India the gig workers are typically Ride-sharing (e.g., driving for Uber or Ola), Food delivery (e.g., Swiggy, Zomato, or UberEats), Independent freelancing (writing, graphic design, coding) etc.

The gig workforce in India has grown from 7.7 million in 2020-2021 to nearly 12 million in 2024-2025 (as per Economic Survey 2025-26). NITI Aayog has projected 23.5 million gig workers by 2029-2030 and 62 million by 2047.

Women are 28% of this entire 12 million workforce. There is a great potential of growth in women participation in days to come.

One area of concern is that 40% of the workforce earns less than Rs. 15000/- per month. This brings sustainability in question.

This sector is expected to contribute 2.35 lakh crore to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2029-2030.

Social Security for Gig Workers

The Code on Social Security, 2020 is now operational. It mandates the companies to contribute 1-2% of annual turnover or up to 5% of the amount payable to workers, into government-welfare fund meant to support life insurance, accident coverage, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and childcare facilities.

The loophole is this Social Security Code 2020 mandates that the worker must have served 90 days before availing these benefits. It is quite often observed that mishaps occur when the gig workers are into the field. This 90 days window must go and the workers must get the benefits from the very first day of work.

An Example that India Must Emulate

New York City, in US has mandated a guaranteed hourly wage of $22.13 ensuring that compensation is linked to time worked rather than the number of deliveries.

Back home, Tamilnadu has created free air conditioned rest lounges for gig workers in Chennai; a small but significant step.