Platform-Based Gig Work in India | RISE Research

This study examines the lived experiences of platform-based gig workers in India, drawing on ten semi-structured interviews with workers across food delivery (Zomato, Swiggy), ride-hailing (Uber), and home services (Urban Company) platforms, selected to vary by platform type, age, and gender. The paper argues that the same structural features making gig work accessible, low entry barriers, contractor classification, and algorithmic management, are precisely the features that leave workers unprotected. Income instability emerges as foundational: despite India's gig workforce growing from 7.7 million to 12 million workers between FY2020-21 and FY2024-25, roughly 40% still earn below Rs.15,000 monthly, with volatile month-to-month earnings foreclosing savings and forcing continued work through illness or injury, sometimes compounded by debt obligations like vehicle loans. Health findings document how physical strain (chronic back pain, fatigue, road accident injuries) and psychological pressures (ratings anxiety, fear of unexplained account suspension) become normalized as accepted conditions of employment. The legal analysis shows India's Code on Social Security, 2020 formally recognizes gig workers as a category but stops short of guaranteeing a wage floor, transparent grievance mechanisms, or employee status, falling short of the ILO's June 2026 Convention No. 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy, the first binding global treaty on the subject. Gender analysis finds these vulnerabilities unevenly distributed: women are concentrated in lower-paying platform segments, excluded from peak earning hours through practices like automatic 6pm curfews, face an 8-10% wage gap relative to men doing comparable work, and lack clear recourse under existing harassment law since contractor classification exempts platforms from many workplace protections. The paper concludes with policy recommendations: establishing a wage floor, mandating algorithmic transparency, and extending harassment protections to cover customer-perpetrated abuse against women workers.