India to have 2.35 crore gig workers by 2030; 4.1 per cent of total workforce
The report recommended extending social security measures for such workers and their families in partnership mode as envisaged in Code on Social Security.
Published: 27th June 2022 04:04 PM | Last Updated: 28th June 2022 08:03 AM | A+A A-
Niti Aayog (Photo | PTI)
BENGALURU: The gig workforce in India is expected to go up to 2.35 crore by 2029-30 and these workers are expected to form 4.1% of the total livelihood in India by this time period, says NITI Aayog in its recent report.
In 2020-21, nearly 77 lakh workers were engaged in the gig economy and they constituted 1.5% of the total workforce in India. The report titled ‘India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy’ highlights the employment generation potential of the gig and platform economy as jobs in this sector have low-entry barriers and cater to the needs of workers with varying degrees of skill sets.
While platform workers are those whose work is based on digital platforms- such as Zomato and Swiggy- non-platform gig workers are generally casual wage workers and own-account workers in the conventional sectors, working part-time or full time.
“Different platforms that comprise the gig economy offer innovative solutions in different sectors such as transport, retail, personal and home care,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog. This changing scenario calls for the need to assess the employment generation potential of the gig and platform sector and design policy measures that can invigorate efforts from different stakeholders to promote growth along with decent work opportunities in this sector, he added.
The report says that by next decade the gig economy in India can see $250 billion transactions at 1.25% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Construction, Manufacturing, Retail, and Transportation and Logistics are the four industry sectors with the highest potential to produce gigable jobs in the future.
Currently, as per the estimates, only a small fraction (1.33%) of the total workforce is part of the gig workforce. However, there is a steady increase in the share of gig workers in the workforce, from 0.54% in 2011-12 to 1.33% in 2019-20. The report also recommends gender sensitisation and accessibility awareness programmes for workers and their families.
