Opportunities for gig-working in India rises

As e-commerce platforms created many opportunities during the pandemic, India has emerged as one of the largest countries for gig and platform workers, according to a government report tabled in Parliament on Friday. 

Digital platforms have allowed job creation, allowing job seekers and job providers to find one another without middlemen, states the Economic Survey 2020-21, according to Business Standard. 

These new platforms have also created massive opportunities for the consumer and service provider to interact, it said, noting platforms such as Flipkart, Ola, Uber, Urban Clap, Zomato, and Swiggy. The gig economy therefore has been popular with workers in India, it said. 

The report also noted that the nature of work has been changing with new technology, the evolution of new economic activities, innovation in organisation structures and evolving business models.

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India’s lockdown period saw companies preferring a work-from-home arrangement for their staff, cutting down on staff strength, hiring freelancers or outsourcing tasks to cut overheads and to hire skilled services, it added.

The report also observed that there has also been a rise in demand in the market to hire project-specific consultants, such as logo/content designers or web designers.