India's gig internet workforce likely to triple to nearly 2 crore by 2030
New Delhi, July 28
India's gig internet workforce is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 24-29 per cent, from about 60 lakh currently to 1.7 crore-2.1 crore monthly active workers by 2030, a report said on Tuesday.
The gig workforce comprising delivery, ride‑hailing and home services will potentially meet nearly 70 per cent of India's annual non‑farm job creation needs of roughly 80 lakh jobs by 2030, the report from Redseer Strategy Consultants said.
Ride-hailing made up the largest share of gig workforce in 2030 workforce at 1.2-1.4 crore workers, followed by delivery at 50-70 lakh and home services at 20,000-30,000, the report forecasted.
Over 30 per cent of the projected gig workforce could be first‑time entrants, it added.
Nearly 54 per cent of current gig workers reported they were not in paid employment before joining gig platforms. The analysis, based on a survey of 2,250 gig workers, found that said full‑time gig workers earn up to 2.5 times more than comparable formal and informal roles.
Average earnings stood at Rs 138 per hour for gig workers compared to Rs 54 per hour for comparable formal and informal workers.
Monthly net earnings varied by sector with home services workers earning Rs 70,000-80,000, while ride‑hailing drivers earned Rs 37,000-39,000 and delivery workers earned Rs 22,000-23,000 monthly, the report added.
"Over the past decade, Gig Internet has emerged as a critical pillar of the country's workforce," said Anil Kumar, Founder and CEO of Redseer Strategy Consultants.
"By connecting workers to flexible, on-demand earning opportunities at scale, these platforms have opened a new and accessible path to livelihood for India's formal and informal workforce," he added.
Nearly 70 per cent of surveyed workers felt gig work had increased their future job prospects, with platforms providing skills such as customer handling, navigation and financial planning.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who orders food and groceries online regularly, I'm glad these platforms exist. But I also see how hard our delivery partners work--especially during monsoons. The ₹138/hour average is decent, but after platform commissions and fuel costs, take-home must be less. Need more transparency from these companies.
Home services workers earning ₹70k-80k per month is impressive! 🎉 This shows skill-based work can pay well in gig economy. Good to see 70% workers feel their future prospects improved. But please don't ignore the mental health and job security aspects. No leaves, no insurance, no retirement benefits.
I'm cautiously optimistic. While it's true that gig work creates jobs, we must also look at the quality of those jobs. Many workers clock 12-14 hours to earn decently. The report says workers earn 2.5x more than comparable roles--that's good, but is it sustainable? Algorithm-driven work can be stressful. 🤔
Interesting data point: 54% of current gig workers were not in paid employment before. That's a massive opportunity for first-time job seekers. Flexible hours and skills like customer handling and navigation are definitely valuable. But we need labour law reforms to keep pace with this growth. The gig economy can't be a regulatory grey area forever.
Ek baat toh clear hai--gig economy is here to stay and grow. But let's not forget these are real people with families. The ₹22k-23k delivery workers earn is okay for a single person, not for someone supporting dependents. Government should mandate minimum earning guarantees and accident insurance for
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