India’s Emerging Gig

Economy
THE FUTURE OF WORK FOR WOMEN WORKERS

BY:
AISHWARYA. G
ANUSHA
 The Gig Economy

 Understanding about Gig economy.

 Sectors focused on Gigs.
 Alternate for Conventional employment.
 Experiences of gig workers (a survey)
 Provision for women empowerment.
 Conclusion.
Understanding Gig Economy

 Gig economy by definition is a transactional

economy framework primarily focusing on
hiring freelancers and independent workers on
a contract basis as opposed to hiring them as
permanent employees.
 Sectors focused on gigs

• Uber/Ola
• Zomato/Swiggy
Work-on- • Urban
demand via
App Company/Housejoy
• Dunzo
• Amazon/Flipkart
Alternative to conventional employment

 Gig economy provides employment to millions of migrant workers in urban India; has potential for
generating more employment
 Approximately 56 per cent of new employment in India is being generated by the gig economy , which is
inclusive of both blue-collar and white-collar manpower

- Bengaluru &Delhi is the top destination for migrant workers joining gig economy
 Steady expansion of the platform economy enabled by both demand for services as well as a steady
supply of workers willing to take up such jobs
 Women’s participation is increasing in the gig economy, but..

- Most jobs remain restricted to traditional segments such as domestic work, care work,
beauty and wellness
Platform in focus: Urban Company

 Urban Company (formerly UrbanClap), founded in Haryana, is one of the largest home services
start-up in India
 Provides end-to-end service delivery, in the local services segment
 Objectives of the study – to investigate:
 Women workers’ experiences, including issues of security, flexibility, labour process and pay/conditions
 Impact on women’s empowerment and agency, and constraints within a polarised labour market
 Sample and Methodology
 Sample: 88 women service providers working with UC in Delhi in the beauty and wellness segment
including spa, fitness and salon services
 Demographic
Marital status of the respondents
Age distribtution of
service providers
profile of women
1.1 2.3

29.6

29.6
18.2

20.5
gig workers 78.4

10.2

10.2
• Gig workers are millennials – average age of sample: 31
Married Unmarried Divorced Widowed
years. 20 - 2 4 25 - 2 9 30- 34 35- 39 40 +
• 80% women are married, and around half of them have young
children.
• 82% of the sample was non-migrant.
Educational attainment of re- Number of children aged (0-14)
• 72% women had passed high school, and 21% had attended spondents years
college. 80.0 71.6 50 46
45
• Flexibility and autonomy over time use are the most attractive 60.0 40
features of the gig economy – 85% respondents were satisfied 35
40.0 30 28
with flexible timings, with 37 average work hours per week. 25 20
20.5
• Women with young children find the platform economy 20.0
4.6 3.4
20
15
particularly attractive, as this offers the flexibility to manage 0.0 10 6
Middle High school Graduate Diploma 5
the work-family balance. school (Class 9-12) 0
(Class 6-8) 0 1 2 3
 Women’s empowerment and increased
autonomy
 As per the survey, findings revealed that
gig economy helps women workers gain
financial independence.
 It provides avenues which are not only
economically empowering but also
changing their relative position within
the family.
 Women enjoy a higher status and
improved decision-making power.
 In Conclusion

Positives
 Women are the beneficiary of the gig ecosystem – offers choice of work and financial independence
 Women enjoy a higher status and improved decision-making power within the family
 Platformsoffer choices to women, who in the absence of these, and the precarity of informal work, choose to not participate in any
economic activity
Negatives
 Disappearance of employer-employee relations has a deep impact on labour structures
 Access to benefits, safety, increased and consistent earnings, increasing competition, lack of effective bargaining power are major
challenges
Recommendations
 Adequate labour protection measures; fundamental rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining
 More research to fully understand how gig work fits into the broader labour market and to understand actual (best) practices adopted in
different platforms within the service sector
THANK YOU