RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

SKILL ENHANCEMENT COURSE (SEC)

“RISE OF A GIG ECONOMY IN INDIA:

WHY FREELANCING IS DOMINATING THE
EMPLOYMENT LANDSCAPE?”

Research Project
Submitted to: Ms. Bornali Borah
Presented by:
Jivyansh Mittal (2562; B.A. (H) Economics)
Aditi Chaudhary (2604; B.A. (H) Economics)

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS, HANSRAJ COLLEGE

I
 LIST OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION III
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT IV
ABSTRACT V
LIST OF TABLES VI
LIST OF FIGURES VII
1. Introduction VIII
1.1 Context VIII
1.2 Scope of the study VIII
2. Review of Literature IX
2.1 Literature Review IX
2.2 Research Gaps XI

2.3 Objectives XI

3. Research Methodology XII

3.1 Data Source XII

3.2 Sample Size XII

3.3 Method of Sampling XII

3.4 Data Analysis XIII

4. Result and Discussion XIV

4.1 Objective 1 XIV

4.2 Objective 2 XIX

4.3 Objective 3 XXII

5. Summary and Conclusion XXV

5.1 Summary XXV

5.2 Conclusion XXVI

5.3 Future Research Gaps XXVII

REFERENCES XXVIII

APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE XXIX

II
 DECLARATION

We, Jivyansh Mittal and Aditi Cbaudhary, confirm that the work for the following research
project with the title

“Rise of a Gig Economy In India:

Why freelancing is dominating the employment landscape?”

was solely undertaken by us and that no help was taken from sources other than those allowed.
All sections of the paper that use quotes or describe a concept by an author have been
referenced, including all secondary literature used, to show that said material has been adopted
to support our thesis.

Date: 30th October, 2019

III
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude towards our teacher and
mentor, Ms. Bornali Borah. This research would not have been possible without her all round
support, constructive suggestions and continuous motivation.

We are thankful to all our respondents who filled the questionnaire and helped in bringing
authenticity to our research project. We also acknowledge all the secondary sources used by
us for the invaluable information that they have provided. They have been duly referenced.

We have tried our best to include all the factors affecting our research. However, we are solely
responsible for all the drawbacks that our research may possess.

IV
 ABSTRACT

The emergence of a gig economy and a sudden inclination towards this employment
relationship has flabbergasted the economists. There is a lack of thorough research and findings
in this area. Our topic of research – “Rise of a Gig Economy in India: Why freelancing is
dominating the employment landscape?” tries to study people’s perception about a rising gig
economy and various reasons why more and more people are taking up freelancing as
compared to stable, permanent desk jobs. We have also tried to assess the factors which make
the freelance job negative as well as how millennials perceive gig economy to grow in future.
The paper focuses on analysis of primary data collected from 100 millennials in Delhi along
with secondary information from various sources.

Through our analysis of primary data, we aim to determine how millennials perceive the
emergence of a gig economy and study its advantages that might outweigh the disadvantages
from the millennials’ viewpoint. The paper also tries to examine the various advantages of
being a freelance worker namely flexible working hours, performance-based earning incentive,
remote working opportunities, freedom to choose clients and projects and find out the most
compelling factor towards this type of working relationship.

V
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Sample participation in gig economy XIV

Table 2 Time spent in the role XIV

Table 3 Access to Employee benefits XV

Table 4 Regulation in gig economy XVI

Table 5 Future participation in gig economy XVII

Table 6 Economic perception about gig economy XVIII

Table 7 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work XIX

Table 8 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by gender XX

Table 9 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by education XXI

Table 10 Biggest downside of gig work XXII

Table 11 Biggest downside of gig work by gender XXIII

Table 12 Biggest downside of gig work by education XXIV

VI
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Sample classification by gender XIII

Figure 2 Sample classification by educational qualification XIII

Figure 3 Time spent in the role XV

Figure 4 Access to Employee benefits XV

Figure 5 Regulation in gig economy XVI

Figure 6 Future participation in gig economy XVII

Figure 7 Best industry for gig work as per respondents XVII

Figure 8 Economic perception about gig economy XVIII

Figure 9 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work XIX

Figure 10 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by gender XX

Figure 11 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by education XXI

Figure 12 Biggest downside of gig work XXII

Figure 13 Biggest downside of gig work by gender XXIII

Figure 14 Biggest downside of gig work by education XXIV

VII
1. Introduction

1.1 Context
The advent of the smartphone technology has altered the way how people live, work and earn
in the 21st century. Being hyper-connected via social media networks has enabled millennials
to increase communication and find new ways to earn and spend money online. Picking up a
“gig” has become as simple as making plans for a movie or going on a date.
A gig economy, in simple words, is an environment in which organizations contract
independent workers for temporary, short-term engagements. The rise of Uber and Airbnb is a
testimony to the fact that gig economy holds immense potential and it is favouring people.
Flexible working hours, ability to choose clients and projects and performance based earnings
has driven more than 15 million people in India to work as freelancers. This exponential growth
has led India to become the 2nd largest freelance workforce in the world mainly in the fields of
IT and programming, finance, sales and marketing, designing, animation, videography, content
and academic writing . According to a study as per Live Mint , in the past year itself, Uber and
Ola alone have created over 2 million jobs , whereas the entire Indian IT industry employs
around 4 million people. However, it must be noted that although emergence of a gig economy
is apparent due to rise of various tech start-ups and disruptors facilitating part-time working
opportunities ranging from working as a delivery partner to a service professional, there are no
overall job numbers so far.
With the amount of change taking place and the current uncertainty in freelancing contractual
arrangements, it has to be expected that various legal issues will arise .The recent 2017 Taylor
review on modern working practices examined the gig economy and the advantages and
disadvantages it offers. It highlights the need and desire for regulation and that these individuals
must be protected to give fairness to workers in the gig economy.

1.2 Scope of the study

The focus of this paper is on millennials which basically refers to a demographic cohort born
between 1981–1998. It aims to determine their perception about the emerging gig economy
and establish the main reasons why more and more millennials are choosing to take up gig jobs.
It examines their main motivation to enter the gig economy and determine whether the
advantages of working as a freelancer outweigh the disadvantages. We have also tried to
analyse their perception regarding the role of gig economy in further boosting up India’s
economic growth. We will accomplish all this by investigating sample data collected from
primary sources which will act as a proxy for entire population.

VIII
2. Review of Literature

2.1 Literature Review

a) MPRA (2016) in their research report introduced an Online Labour Index (OLI), an
economic indicator which provided an online freelancing labour market equivalent of
conventional labour market statistics. Through OLI, they addressed previously unanswered
questions about the online gig economy to benefit policy makers, labour market researchers and
the general public. They answered questions pertaining to reasons for growth of gig working
relationship, rate of growth in various economics and sectors in which it is growing most
rapidly. They also analysed major online freelancing marketplaces.
They used global data from various secondary sources. The results were published and made
public. They concluded that software development and technology are currently the most
sought-after skills by gig employers. They also listed out various factors that led to the
emergence of a gig economy in various countries.
However, their research didn’t state the most dominant factor that led to an increasing
inclination towards gig working relationship. Moreover, they included all age groups in their
study and it wasn’t restricted to millennials.

b) Leeds University Business School (2018) in their research report tried to evaluate
millennials’ perception about gig work and what motivated them to enter into this type of
working relationship. The research also examined in great depth reasons behind some workers
having different perspective about freelance work than others. Moreover, it ascertained whether
there is a widespread desire for imposition of more regulations within a gig economy.
They collected primary data from an online questionnaire. It comprised 17 questions based on
Likert scale. The analysis was done through chi-squared test. Through their hypothesis, they
concluded that the millennials’ perception about gig work varied according to the time that
they spent in this working relationship. The inclination towards gig work and the time spent in
this working relationship had a negative correlation. They also concluded that there is a big
concern among freelancers due to current by-passing of regulations by the employers and listed
out the disadvantages of shrinking contractual rights, leading to a greater desire for regulation.
However, their research wasn’t conducted in context of a developing country like India where
the workers’ perception is likely to differ significantly from those in a developed country.
Moreover, their study treated millennials as a homogenous group without any classification in
terms of academic qualification and gender.

c) LIRNEasia, a think tank (2017) conducted a research to understand the phenomenon of

freelancing in India from the workers’ point of view. They tried to identify the nature of gig

IX
economy in India, looked into factors that enabled online freelancing and examined the
complications that generally arise in this type of working relationship. They also examined
various online platforms that provided freelancing opportunities in India like UrbanClap, Uber,
Zomato, Upwork etc as well as their contribution to the overall Indian gig economy.
They collected primary data from 301 respondents scattered across various cities in India
through group discussions and in-depth interviews. They concluded their research by listing
and evaluating various challenges faced by a freelancers and providing solutions to them.
However, their research didn’t examine individual perception about the gig work. It didn’t
bring into light millennial’s motivation for gig work, its advantages and disadvantages
according them. Moreover, the entire sample was treated as homogenous and no distinct
classifications were made within it.

d) ICRIER (2017) in their research report studied the future of work in a digital era and
analysed the potential for online freelancing and microwork in India. They presented different
models of online freelancing in India and examined the ecosystem using data associated with
stakeholder interactions. They also captured the inclination to freelance by gender, level of
education and industry type.
The data was collected through various primary as well as secondary sources. A survey in
collaboration with CKS and Frapp was conducted which supplemented the reports generated
from in-depth interviews of current and potential freelancers. A structured questionnaire was
answered by freelancers having objective type and Likert scale questions. The data was
analysed through measures of central tendency i.e. mean, median and mode. They concluded
that the destruction due to new digital technology and disruptive innovations could be
converted into an opportunity through online freelancing and microwork. It provided an
opportunity to the vast pool of informal labour in the country, especially women and semi-
skilled workers engaged in labour-intensive industries who were found to be more inclined to
freelancing.
However, their research didn’t examine the various factors that led to an inclination towards
freelancing in depth and the downsides of the freelance economy from an individual’s point of
view. Moreover, they were open to all age group and wasn’t restricted specifically to
millennials.

X
2.2 Research Gaps
After reviewing the above literature, we were able to identify the following research gaps:
a. No study had examined the scope of gig working relationship from millennials’
perspective.
b. There is a lack of clarity regarding the most dominant factor that motivates the workers
to enter gig work and its potential downsides as per individual perceptions that may
obstruct the growth of a gig economy in future.

2.3 Objectives

• To determine millennials’ perception about an emerging gig economy.

• To find out the most dominant factor that justifies an increasing inclination towards gig
work.
• To find out the biggest downside of gig work as per millennials.

XI
3. Research Methodology

The study is carried out to predict the future of gig economy in India. It aims to analyse a stream
of factors that could possibly justify emergence of this new type of working relationship. The
study uses primary data collected through an online questionnaire (Appendix). The
questionnaire was circulated with the help of social media platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp and
LinkedIn) for 20 days from 1st October 2019 till 20th October 2019.

3.1 Data Source

For this research, primary data has been used wherein an online form questionnaire was
circulated and responses were collected. A primary approach had to be taken due to lack of
reliable secondary data on the research topic.
The questionnaire was mainly quantitative in nature, dominated by multiple choice questions
(MCQs) and had few Likert Scale type questions. The questionnaire also had a subjective
question to record respondents’ perception about the impact of gig economy on the country’s
GDP growth.
The questions were designed to study the various aspects of gig economy in a great depth and
finding different perceptions about it. This method of data collection proved to be really
efficient as the questionnaire recorded 100 responses in a short span of time with relative ease
and convenience.

3.2 Sample Size

A total of 100 responses were gathered from the entire population of millennials. The sample
size was 100, which we considered large enough to be a fair representation of the target
group. The sample was chosen in an unbiased manner with responses from both the genders
and respondents from diverse educational background although the data might have potential
bias from non-respondents.

3.3 Method of Sampling

A simple random sampling method was used in our research. In this methodology, every item
in the population has an even chance and likelihood of being selected in the sample. We used
this methodology in order to minimize sampling error and eliminate systematic bias from
impacting the research.

XII
3.3 Data Analysis
The sample was classified in terms of gender and education background in order to represent
the population in a more apt way.

The sample analysis consisted of 100 responses out of which 52% are from females (52
responses) and 48% are from males (48 responses).
Figure 1 Sample classification by gender

Gender

48%
52%

Male Female

The majority of the responses we received were working towards or had already received an
Under-Graduation degree.
Figure 2 Sample classification by educational qualification

Educational Background
20% 16%
Higher Secondary
Examination (10+2)
Under-Graduation

Post-Graduation

25%
39% PhD or higher

To analyse the primary data collected through the questionnaire and draw statistical inferences
in a more detailed and coherent manner, distinctions based on gender and/or different levels of
education were made wherever necessary. This allowed determination of different perceptions
about the phenomenon of gig economy as per diverse interests.
The grouping was done using Microsoft Excel, especially the PivotTable feature which allowed
for faster processing of data and effective visualisation of results in a lucid way.

XIII
4. Result and Discussion

4.1 Objective 1: Millennials’ perception about an emerging gig economy

After the extensive analysis of primary data, following results were obtained:

Table 1 Sample participation in gig economy

Yes,
Are you currently working as a
Yes, Currently Worked as
freelancer or ever worked as one in No
working as one one in the
the past?
past
Female 27 14 11
Higher Secondary Examination (10+2) 7 2 0
Under-Graduation 11 7 4
PhD or higher 3 1 2
Post-Graduation 6 4 5
Male 22 10 16
Higher Secondary Examination (10+2) 5 1 1
Under-Graduation 7 3 7
PhD or higher 7 3 4
Post-Graduation 3 3 4
49 24 27

The tabular representation above shows that the participation in the gig economy. After the
analysis, it was seen that overall participation rate in the gig economy is 51% (51) of the sample.
Out of the total participants, 49% (25) are females while 51% (26) are males. This shows that
the participation rate among both the genders is equitable.
Further, the table shows that for both the genders out of the total participants, Under-Graduates
are the ones with highest participation rate in the gig economy which is then followed by Post-
Graduates.

Table 2 Time spent in the role

Number of
Time spent in the role
participants
Less than 1 month 10
1-6 Months 23
6-12 Months 14
More than 1 year 4
51

XIV
 Figure 3 Time spent in the role

Time spent in the role

25 23

20

15 14

10
10

5 4

0
Less than 1 month 1-6 Months 6-12 Months More than 1 year

The graphical visualisation shows that among those who have taken up a freelance role before
or are currently associated to one, the modal time spent in the role is 1-6 months. The was
followed by a period of 6-12 months with least preferred period being More than 1 year. This
clearly shows that most freelancers are not interested in long-term employment relationship
and prefer shorter projects over extended projects.

Table 3 Access to Employee benefits

Did you get access to any of the following Number of
Employee benefits? participants
No 32
Performance bonuses 14
Access to employee development programme 3
Health/Life Insurance 2
51

Figure 4 Access to Employee benefits

Access to Employee benefits

35 32
30
25
20
14
15
10
5 3 2
0
No Performance Access to employee Health/Life
bonuses development Insurance
programme

XV
The graphic visualisation shows that among all those who have taken up a freelance role before,
majority of them (63%) didn’t get employee benefits that are legally accrued to regular
permanent desk employees. Only 14 participants were entitled to performance bonuses. As far
as access to employee development programme, health/life Insurance and paid leave are
concerned, the numbers were meagre at 3, 2 and 0 respectively. This clearly shows that there
is a lack of fringe benefits and perquisites in freelance work in addition to normal pay cheque.
Based on this, we can highlight the need and desire for regulation in the gig economy to ensure
fairness to the workers within the ecosystem.

Table 4 Regulation in gig economy

Do you think freelancers should legally get all the
Number of
benefits by the company that are accrued to
people
permanent desk employees?
Yes 77
No 23
100

Figure 5 Regulation in gig economy

Regulation in gig economy

90
80 77

70
60
50
40
30 23
20
10
0
Yes No

It was seen that out of total number of respondents, 77% (77) agreed that the government should
impose regulations in the gig economy and freelancers should legally get all those benefits that
are legally accrued to regular permanent desk employees like paid leave, performance bonuses,
health/life insurance, employee stock option plan etc.
While 23% (23) out of total number of respondents disagreed with the claim. According to
them, the gig economy should function independently without any regulations and government
intervention.

XVI
 Table 5 Future participation in gig economy

Do you plan to work as a freelancer at

No Yes Only if necessary
some point of time in future?

Female 9 19 24
Male 10 20 18
19 39 42

Figure 6 Future participation in gig economy

Future participation in gig economy

30

25

20

15

10

0
Female Male

No Yes Only if necessary

It is seen that out of majority of the respondents – 42% plan to work as a freelancer only if
necessary while 39% are completely open to freelancing opportunities. Only 19% don’t plan
to work as a freelancer at all. This shows that people have a positive attitude towards an
emerging gig economy. Among males, most are completely open to freelancing opportunities
in future while among females, most will take up freelance work only if necessary.

Figure 7 Best Industry for gig work as per respondents

Best Industry for gig work

5% Accounting & Financial
13%
Services

7% Content Writing &

Research
30%
Data Science & Machine
Learning
Design & Architecture

25%
Digital Marketing & Sales

11%
9% IT & Web Development

XVII
The graphical representation shows that as per respondents, “Content Writing & Research” and
“Digital Marketing & Sales” are the most sought after skills in freelance ecosystem with 30%
and 25% votes respectively. This was followed by “Media & Photography” and “Data Science
& Machine Learning” having 13% and 11% votes respectively.

Table 6 Economic perception about gig economy

14. Do you think emergence of a gig
Number of
economy will boost India’s economic
people
growth?
Yes 62
No 38
100

Figure 8 Economic perception about gig economy

Do you think emergence of a gig economy will

boost India’s economic growth?

38%

Yes
No

62%

It is seen that out of total number of respondents, 62% agreed that emergence of a gig economy
will have economic benefits for India and boost its GDP growth while 38% disagreed with the
claim.
We also received some subjective answers to the question where respondents believe that
flexibility of time and location offered by gig work boosts workers’ morale and job satisfaction
which increases their productivity and motivation to work. Increase in productivity of the
workers expands a country’s economic capacity which ultimately boosts a country’s GDP
growth.

XVIII
4.2 Objective 2: Finding out the most dominant factor that justifies an
increasing inclination towards gig work.

After an analysis of the primary data, we obtained the following results:

Table 7 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work

Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work Number of people who agree
Flexible working hours 41
Freedom to choose clients and projects 22
Lack of regular job opportunities 18
Performance-based earning incentive 13
Remote working opportunities 6
100

Figure 9 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work

Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work

45 41
40
35
30
25 22
20 18

15 13

10 6
5
0
Flexible working hours Freedom to choose Lack of regular job Performance-based Remote working
clients and projects opportunities earning incentive opportunities

The graphical visualization shows that out of total number of respondents, most of them
(41%) agree that “Flexible working hours” is the most dominant factor for an increasing
inclination towards freelancing. This is followed by “Freedom to choose clients and projects”
with a rate of 22% and “Lack of regular job opportunities” with a rate of 18%. This shows
that Millennials perceive flexibility as the most compelling factor towards gig work and the
biggest reason for emergence of a gig economy.

XIX
 Table 8 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by gender

Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by gender Female Male Total

Flexible working hours 17 24 41

Freedom to choose clients and projects 9 13 22
Lack of regular job opportunities 13 5 18
Performance-based earning incentive 7 6 13
Remote working opportunities 6 0 6

Figure 10 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by gender

Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work

by gender

0
Remote working opportunities
6

6
Performance-based earning incentive
7

5
Lack of regular job opportunities
13

13
Freedom to choose clients and projects
9

24
Flexible working hours
17

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Male Female

It is seen that for both the genders, “Flexible working hours” is the most dominant factor for
inclination towards freelancing (24 male and 17 female respondents). Among males, this is
followed by “Freedom to choose clients and projects” (13 respondents) while among females,
this is followed by “Lack of regular job opportunities” (13 respondents).

XX
 Table 9 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by education

Higher
Dominant factor for inclination Secondary Under- Post- PhD or
Total
towards gig work by education Examination Graduation Graduation higher
(10+2)
Flexible working hours 7 15 7 12 41
Freedom to choose clients and
3 7 10 2 22
projects
Lack of regular job opportunities 2 7 6 3 18
Performance-based earning
2 7 2 2 13
incentive
Remote working opportunities 2 3 0 1 6

Figure 11 Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by education

Dominant factor for inclination towards gig work by education

1
0
Remote working opportunities 3
2

2
2
Performance-based earning incentive 7
2

3
6
Lack of regular job opportunities 7
2

2
10
Freedom to choose clients and projects 7
3

12
7
Flexible working hours 15
7

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

PhD or higher Post-Graduation Under-Graduation Higher Secondary Examination (10+2)

It is seen that for higher-secondary students, under-graduates and those pursuing PhD or higher,
the most dominant factor for inclination towards freelancing is “Flexible working hours” while
for post-graduates or those working towards it, the most dominant factor was found to be
“Freedom to choose clients and projects”. This was followed by “Freedom to choose clients
and projects” for higher-secondary students and under-graduates, “Flexible working hours” for
post-graduates or those working towards it and “Lack of regular job opportunities” for those
pursuing PhD or higher.

XXI
4.3 Objective 3: Finding out the biggest downside of gig work as per
millennials.

For this objective, primary data was analyzed and the following results were obtained:

Table 10 Biggest downside of gig work

Number of people who
Biggest downside of freelancing
agree
No job security 51
Inconsistent paychecks 31
Lack of regular employee benefits 9
Minimal growth opportunities 6
Isolated work environment 3
100

Figure 12 Biggest downside of gig work

Biggest downside of gig work

60

51
50

40

31
30

20

9
10 6
3

0
No job security Inconsistent Lack of regular Minimal growth Isolated work
paychecks employee benefits opportunities environment

The graphical visualization shows that out of total number of respondents, most of them (51%)
believe “No job security” to be the biggest downside of freelancing. This is followed by
“Inconsistent paychecks” to which 31% agree to be the biggest downside of freelancing. Lack
of regular employee benefits, minimal growth opportunities and isolated work environment
received 9%, 6% and 3% votes respectively. Millennials perceive no job security to be the
biggest reason for aversion towards entering into gig working relationship.

XXII
 Table 11 Biggest downside of gig work by gender

Biggest downside of gig work by gender Female Male Total

No job security 25 26 51
Inconsistent pay cheques 18 13 31
Lack of regular employee benefits 5 4 9
Minimal growth opportunities 2 4 6
Isolated work environment 2 1 3

Figure 13 Biggest downside of gig work by gender

Biggest downside of freelancing by gender

30

26
25
25

20
18

15 Female
13
Male

10

5
5 4 4
2 2
1
0
No job security Inconsistent Lack of regular Minimal growth Isolated work
paychecks employee benefits opportunities environment

The graphical representation above shows that for both the genders, “No job security” is the
biggest downside of freelancing (26 male and 25 female respondents). Among both the
genders, this is followed by “Inconsistent paychecks” (13 male respondents and 18 female
respondents) and “Lack of regular employee benefits” (4 male respondents and 5 female
respondents).

XXIII
 Table 12 Biggest downside of gig work by education
PhD
Biggest downside of Higher Secondary Under- Post-
or Total
freelancing by education Examination (10+2) Graduation Graduation
higher
No job security 8 17 12 14 51
Inconsistent pay cheques 3 14 10 4 31
Lack of regular employee
3 4 2 0 9
benefits
Minimal growth opportunities 2 2 1 1 6
Isolated work environment 0 2 0 1 3

Figure 14 Biggest downside of gig work by education

Biggest downside of gig work by education

1
0
Isolated work environment 2
0

1
1
Minimal growth opportunities 2
2

0
2
Lack of regular employee benefits 4
3

4
10
Inconsistent paychecks 14
3

14
12
No job security 17
8

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

PhD or higher Post-Graduation Under-Graduation Higher Secondary Examination (10+2)

The graphical representation above shows that for respondents from all strata of educational
qualification, the biggest downside of freelancing was “No job security” with 51% (51)
respondents agreeing to it. This was followed by “Inconsistent paychecks” for all strata with
31% (31) respondents concurring. This shows that millennials perceive lack of job security to
be the biggest reason behind aversion to gig work since the employment contract terminates
once the project is over in this type of working relationship. Lack of job security ultimately
leads to inconsistent paychecks for a gig worker.

XXIV
5. Summary and Conclusion

5.1 Summary

This research provides an analysis on the quantitative findings in regards to exploring the
attitudes, varying impacts and perceptions of the gig economy on the millennial generation.

After thorough research, we saw that the participation rate among both the genders in gig work
was equitable and under graduates are the ones most actively involved in gig work.
Furthermore, we saw that freelancers prefer to work at a job for 1-6 months, showing their
interest in taking up short term engagements rather than being tied up for a long time.

Among those who are working or have worked as a freelancer before, only 37% of them
received employment benefits, highlighting the lack of fringe benefits and perquisites in
freelance work.

77% of the respondents believed that proper regulations should be imposed in the gig economy
and freelancers should get all the benefits available to permanent employees at organisations.

We also saw that maximum number of participants (42%) responded that they will take up a
gig job in the future only if necessary whereas 39% of them were completely open to
freelancing opportunities and the best industry for gig work as per respondents was deemed to
be “Content Writing and Research”.

The most dominant factor for inclination towards gig work was found out to be flexible
working hours (41%), followed by “Freedom to choose projects and clients” (22%) and “Lack
of regular job opportunities”(18%). For both males and females, the most dominant factor was
found out to be flexible working hours only. For undergraduates, the most compelling factor
was “Flexible working hours” as well, but for post graduates, the most dominant factor was
found out to be “Freedom to choose clients and projects”.

51% of the respondents believed that “No job security” is the biggest downside of freelancing,
followed by “Inconsistent paychecks” (31%) and “Lack of regular job opportunities” (9%).

For both genders, and for people from all of strata of educational qualifications, the biggest
downside of freelancing was consensually seen to be no job security only.

XXV
5.2 Conclusion

All things considered though, there can be no doubt that the gig economy has opened up a
myriad of opportunities and possibilities for workers, businesses and the economy alike. The
ability to now test the waters of entrepreneurship with just a few gigs, providing lower barrier
to entry might just propel innovation and the state of the economy to new heights.

Millennials, with their fast paced lifestyles, value flexible hours the most, which is compelling
most of them to enter the gig economy. However, the most obvious problem for gig workers is
lack of job security. They constantly have to be on the lookout for jobs, which can be
emotionally and financially draining.

Through our research we also saw that the gig economy has promoted gender equality as both
males and females are equally involved in gig work. It has not only enabled women
entrepreneurs to spread their wings but has also paved the way for greater economic equality.
In the words of Economist Thomas Pikkety, the main driver of economic inequality is the
concentration of wealth producing ‘capital’ in the hands of just a few, so with millions of micro-
entrepreneurs who own their own businesses, one would assume we are on the road to greater
equality.

An estimated 56% of new employment in India is being generated by the gig economy
companies across both the blue-collar and white-collar workforce. Although labour legislation
in India has been enacted to ensure that the employees and certain eligible workers, including
contract workers, are entitled to all the benefits they require to sustain themselves, there is still
a long way to go. There is a need to ensure that minimum wages, paid leave provisions and
necessary maternity benefits are also made available to freelance workers. Companies should
also introduce peer-to-peer mentoring and establish sharing platforms, both offline and online,
to enable workers to connect among themselves effectively.

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5.3 Future Research Gaps

• Given the scope and timeframe of this research, the sample size was limited (100). In
future, the sample size can be extended in order to generalize the finding and get a more
accurate perception of the general millennial population.

• Qualitative methods can be used to explore more variables that were ignored by us,
which are both positively and negatively associated with the gig work. The findings
will provide a better view of millennial’s perception about the emerging gig economy.

• We used Microsoft Excel – PivotTable feature to analyse and visualise data. A more
sophisticated software such as SPSS, Stata or Tableau etc. can be used for data analysis
and visualisation in case of a larger sample size.

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 REFERENCES

• Morgan Stanley (2018): The Gig Economy Goes Global

https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/freelance-economy

• Deloitte (2017): Millennial Survey - Apprehensive millennials: seeking stability

and opportunities in an uncertain world
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-
Deloitte/gx-deloitte-millennial-survey-2017-executive-summary.pdf

• University of Leeds (2018): The impact of rise of a Gig Economy

https://bit.ly/2KdI175

• ICRIER (2017): Future of work in a digital era: The potential and challenges
for online freelancing and microwork in India
https://icrier.org/pdf/Online_Freelancing%20_ICRIER.pdf

• MPRA (2016) : Online Labour Index: Measuring the Online Gig Economy for
Policy and Research
https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/86627/8/MPRA_paper_86627.pdf

• LIRNEasia (2017) : Online freelancing in India: What current and potential

workers say?
https://bit.ly/34RiB77

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APPENDIX: QUESSTIONAIRE

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