GIG LABOUR IN INDIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
AUTHORS – KARUN SANJAYA1 & ABHISHEK KUMAR2
1 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR & 2 TEACHING ASSISTANT, SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, NAGPUR, SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL (DEEMED UNIVERSITY), PUNE, INDIA
BEST CITATION – KARUN SANJAYA & ABHISHEK KUMAR, GIG LABOUR IN INDIA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES, ILE LABOUR LAW REVIEW, 3 (1) OF 2024, PG. 01-07, APIS – 3920 – 0009 | ISSN – 2583-6161.
Introduction
India, with the advent of gig labour, finds the veil over its employment landscape torn down and the future workplace exposed. The evolution of gig labour, which includes temporary, flexible, and freelance employment, has significant implications for workers, businesses, and regulation. Gig labour arises through digital platforms and the gig economy, which provides individuals with access to available employment and poses a problem of job safety, social security, and legal status of labour[1]. The spectacular growth of gig labour illustrates how people work differently, from formal employment to a more agile and decentralized model. Thus, Uber, Ola, Swiggy, and Zomato online platforms and freelance websites allow people to work when they want and with whom, selling their labour power and skills[2]. Gig work has evolved its prospects and possibilities, extending beyond the realm of employment and providing economic opportunities for people of all backgrounds, ranging from students and homemakers to retirees. Furthermore, in a setting where formal livelihoods are often prohibitively expensive or inaccessible, the growth of gig labour enables those who were previously on the fringes to join the workforce[3]. Nonetheless, gig labour raised probing questions regarding the future of work and the social and economic effects of a new program. The major challenge of gig employment is that it allows for a high degree of dynamism and autonomy but does not have the security and benefits of formal work, resulting in a large number of working portfolios in a financially unstable and possibly exploitative situation[4]. Furthermore, in the gig economy, when platform choice becomes the employee’s principal decision and employer, and algorithmic decisions and rating methods reinforce existing inequalities and precarious processes[5]. In this context, a nuanced understanding of the nuances related to gig labour in India must encompass the factors driving its dynamics, its implications, and the regulatory environment impacting it. Policy makers must strive to strike a balance between promoting innovation and economic growth and safeguarding the interests of gig workers by ensuring a level playing field. To that end, comprehensive regulatory regimes and social protection schemes geared towards the peculiar characteristics of the gig economy should be implemented to accommodate the changing needs of workers and promote an inclusive labour market[6]. Taking the factors discussed above into account, this paper aims to critically assess the complexities associated with gig labour in India[7]. Through an assessment of the opportunities and challenges presented by the gig economy, this paper hopes to provide a more lucid assessment of how the transition can be managed to ensure sustainable and inclusive work practices in the future.
[1] Niti Aayog, Perspectives and Recommendations on the Future of Work India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy, (2022), https://www.niti.gov.in/sites/default/files/2022-06/25th_June_Final_Report_27062022.pdf (last visited Mar 31, 2024).
[2] Anweshaa Ghosh, Risha Ramachandran & Mubashira Zaidi, Women Workers in the Gig Economy in India: An Exploratory Study, osf.io (2021), https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/ch8wg (last visited Mar 31, 2024).
[3] Amit Kapoor, The challenge with gig economy, The Economic Times, Aug. 4, 2021, https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/the-challenge-with-gig-economy/articleshow/85031089.cms?from=mdr (last visited Mar 31, 2024).
[4] Alex J Wood et al., Good Gig, Bad Gig: Autonomy and Algorithmic Control in the Global Gig Economy, 33 Work, Employment and Society 56 (2019).
[5] James Muldoon & Paul Raekstad, Algorithmic Domination in the Gig Economy, 22 European Journal of Political Theory (2022), https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14748851221082078.
[6] International Labour Organisation, Providing adequate and sustainable social protection for workers in the gig and platform economy, (2023), https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—ddg_p/documents/publication/wcms_867535.pdf (last visited Mar 31, 2024).
[7] Baishali Pal, Rising Popularity in Gig Economy: A Case Study from India, 3 International Journal of Religious and Cultural Studies (2021).