India to add 90-110 lakh gig workforce by 2025

With more and more companies preferring to hire employees on project basis, a report has revealed that there is likely to be 90-110 lakh additions to the gig workforce by 2025, a report said on Wednesday.

The gig economy has been one of the most pivotal economic shifts in a long time and people are choosing gig jobs because it works with their lifestyle, they can choose when and how much they work, or it allows them to earn money between jobs, global job site Indeed said in the report.

According to the report, companies have also started investing in gig work platforms and processes, which indicates how integral they are to the future of jobs growth in India.

A majority of the employers surveyed (58 per cent) estimate the gig workforce to grow to 90-110 lakh, or even exceed this number by 2025, the report revealed.

Gig workers are freelancers or contractors who work independently, typically on a short-term basis for multiple clients.

"With the emergence of app-based models for roles like delivery and home services, there has been some degree of formalisation in this sector.

"In the coming years, we foresee this segment to grow exponentially," Indeed India head of sales Sashi Kumar said.

This report is based on a survey among 550 employers and 750 gig workers across gig app companies including personal care services, cleaning services, household or vehicle repairs, food and other delivery, and cab or two-wheeler-driving, HR consulting, retail, food and beverages, and home and office services.

The report further revealed that job roles like door delivery is the most prevalent gig role employers are hiring for currently.

In addition, 22 per cent of the employers surveyed are hiring gig workforce for food and 26 per cent for other delivery, it stated.

Around 16 per cent of the employers surveyed are hiring gig workers for household or vehicle repairs and maintenance and for cab or two-wheeler driving, 10 per cent are hiring for cleaning and 7 per cent for personal care service roles.

Meanwhile, the report also found that lack of access to job information (62 per cent), not knowing English (32 per cent) and not knowing the local language (10 per cent) are the biggest barriers for gig workers, who have shifted outside of their home town for work.