Top Research Papers on Gig Economy in India

This chapter of the book seeks to review the different components of the gig economy along with the advantages and disadvantages and how gig can contribute towards a localised and self-reliant Indian economy.

:- The gig economy is a rapidly evolving sector that is transforming the labour market in India. This paper examines the growth of the gig economy in India, its opportunities and challenges, and the policy implications for the Indian economy. Using data from multiple sources, including government reports, academic studies, and industry surveys, we analyze the size, scope, and dynamics of the gig economy in India, its impact on the labour market, and the policy challenges and opportunities presented by the sector.

The gig economy is transforming the work culture, of organizations across the globe. Technological innovation has brought significant changes to work, organization, and employment relationships with positive and negative impacts. Labor laws, freedom of association, and collective bargaining have long sought to balance the unequal relationship between employers and individual workers and enable workers to act collectively to improve their employment and working conditions. For gig workers specifically, many platforms classify them as independent contractors or partners in place of employees and...

While post-Fordism and neo-liberalism changed the way labour was viewed, technology and wide spread digitization has built upon the same principles, giving way to a new form of work – the Gig Economy. Over the last decade, ‘on-demand’ work guided by app-based platforms such as Uber, Ola, Urban Company, Zomato, etc. have become fairly common in urban India. These platforms have built upon the existing large informal economy fuelled by growing digitization and affordability of gadgets such as smartphones. Gig economy thrives upon the idea of ‘flexibility’, allowing people to work as ‘independent...

To investigate the impact of ride-hailing apps in the Indian market, and the challenges and opportunities it has brought in, a learnings from an ethnographic study of Uber drivers in India are offered.

The present research was conducted to understand how the contributions made by contract employees are valued across the IT sector and to know the favorability of existing employment practices.

The gig economy includes a broad spectrum of occupations, including independent graphic designers, content producers, and IT specialists, as well as ride-hailing firms like Uber and Ola.

This research paper has aimed to understand the concept of Gig Economy and the role of women workers in it. It has also studied the challenges and future scope of Gig economy in India. This is a conceptual paper which has reviewed various research papers as well as articles. It has been reported by various research studies that the greater participation of women workers in gig works is due to the flexibility in managing their domestic and work life together and social insecurity has been considered as one of the major challenges which can be removed through implementation of proper legislation...

This article raises an issue of the rising popularity of gig economy in India. A market that is based on a fixed-term contract or that is paid per project by a company, third party, or online marketplace is referred to as the "gig economy". By employing a case study approach, this article highlights the impact of gig economy in India. The gig economy's impact at work is widespread and felt across industries. It has completely transformed how people are engaged at work and has resulted in a fundamental shift in the way our economy operates. While the gig economy offers enormous benefits to work...

The 'gig economy' is a relatively recent term coined to describe a range of working arrangements that have previously been denoted as precarious, flexible and contingent. These may include casual workers, temporary agency workers, those on zero-hours contracts and dependent contractors. This books seeks to get behind the contemporary buzz surrounding the term and provide some theoretical and empirical analysis of the gig work phenomenon. The book seeks to assess more critically some of the rhetorical claims made about gig work and to provide a balanced appraisal of the ramifications for indivi...

Gig jobs have become a structural aspect of contemporary economic landscape, creating unique social and technological challenges. How can policies and design solutions better protect gig workers and mitigate the risks participants face?

The gig economy can serve up to 90 million jobs in the non-farm sectors in India with a potential to add 1.25% to the GDP over the "long term".

This research is based on how, over the course of the last couple of decades, with the spread of technology and the internet, increased urbanization, and most recently, the Covid-19 epidemic, the discussion on "the future of work" has taken place. Since non-traditional work modes are the "future of work," we need to think about establishing legislative frameworks on this topic on a global scale. In this study work, certain important definitional and conceptual concerns emerging under the Labour Codes in relation to Work from Home are explored. These topics have been presented by gaining an und...

The gig economy can serve up to 90 million jobs in the non-farm sectors in India with a potential to add 1.25% to the GDP over the "long term".

The emergence of the gig economy in India, backed by technological advancements and changing societal norms, has significantly altered the landscape of labour markets. This paper examines the impact of the gig economy on traditional labour laws in Maharashtra, a state experiencing a rapid rise in gig work. It explores the challenges posed by this shift, evaluates the gap between existing labour laws and the realities of gig work, and proposes reforms aimed at protecting gig workers while fostering economic growth.

The number of people holding non-traditional jobs (independent contractors, temporary workers, “gig” workers) has grown steadily as technology increasingly enables short-term labor contracting and fixed employment costs continue to rise. For many firms that need less than a full-time person for short-term work and for many workers who value flexibility this has created a great deal of surplus. During slack economic periods, non-traditional work also serves as an alternative safety net. Non-traditional jobs will continue to become more common, though policy changes could slow or accelerate the ...

Modern economy has benefited from gig economy idea, where, instead of hiring permanent employees, a company assigns each task to the person who is the most efficient in performing this task. This way, each task is performed in the best possible way -by a person who is the most suited for this job. Why not extend this idea to education? Every student deserves the best possible teacher in every topic. So why not have a teacher who is the best in town in explaining quadratic equations teach quadratic equations to all the students from the town? In this paper, we describe this proposal and its log...

The process of digitalization has increased rapidly around the world and this process has transformed societies and brought a new economic revolution. The use of technology has brought a new change in India as well. A paradigm shift in business models, service provisions, and working arrangements has taken place. Now flexible types of jobs are available to freelancers and part-time workers. The gig economy is a relatively new and emerging sector with immense potential for growth and employment generation. This study highlights the growth of the gig economy in India from 2011-12 to 2019-20.The ...

India's socio-economic landscape is transforming, driven by demographic changes, economic challenges, and technological advancements. Amid slowing GDP growth, declining labour force participation rates, and rising unemployment, the gig economy has emerged as a pivotal player in addressing the country’s employment challenges. Characterised by short-term, project-based work facilitated by digital platforms, the gig economy offers flexible alternatives to traditional jobs and presents new opportunities for income generation and economic inclusion. This paper examines India's gig economy's evoluti...

"Increasingly, employees are being falsely treated as ‘self-employed’. This phenomenon – the ‘gig economy’ – is seen as the inevitable shape of things to come. In this book, Colin Crouch takes a step back and questions this logic. He shows how the idea of an employee – a stable status that involves a bundle of rights – has maintained a curious persistence. Examining the ways companies are attacking these rights, from proffering temporary work to involuntary part-time work to ‘gigging’, he reveals the paradoxes of the situation and argues that it should not and cannot continue. He goes on to pr...

This paper will examine the business model and discuss recommendations of best practices for integrating the gig economy as a solution to workforce issues, improving global economic policies, entrepreneurial growth and society. Technology, demand, and location are environmental factors that we analyzed. The positive and negative contributions that entrepreneurs have on this economy are outlined, as well. Throughout the research, the achievement of understanding what the gig economy is and how it is shaping the future is a key focus. The conclusion is made of whether the gig economy is somethin...

Militant groups delegate operations to contingent, short-term, and freelance agents. Such informal and ad-hoc employment patterns have wide-reaching consequences, yet the academic literature lacks a systematic vocabulary and framework to analyze these practices. Using primary and secondary sources, I introduce a descriptive typology of informal employment patterns in militant groups, contributing to scholarship and practice by establishing a basis for a systematic comparison of variation in militant employment models, particularly highlighting how these practices can have far-reaching implicat...

In this article, I explore the relationship between yoga and the gig economy, a phenomenon that was accentuated during the pandemic and has prevailed in the current cost-of-living crisis. In the first half of the article, I review existing literature in relation to yoga, women and work, and examine how flexibilization, precarization and gender intersect in the organization of labour, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the second half of the article, I draw on my observations from a conceptual reading of Instagram content, and social justice activity organized by the Independent Workers’ Union ...

This report wishes to explore the dimension, quality and characteristics of Gig Economy in a comparative way. Platform capitalism represents the most appropriate form to interpret the ongoing capitalistic transformations. But the modalities to analyze this phenomenon and the normative efforts appear as still very much contaminated by the prevalent narratives among public opinion. This comparative analysis looks at the main studies carried out at a European and national level on the quality and diffusion of platform economies, in an attempt to go beyond mainstream narratives, and therefore offe...

As the shift towards the gig economy and more transient employment relationship happens, organizations continue to face the dilemma of building trust among gig economy workers. Gig economy workers cannot be treated like permanent workers within traditional employment contracts, as it would defeat the advantages of flexibilization that the gig economy provides. It is necessary that leaders of platform-based corporations stand by gig economy workers contracted by them when they face instances of prejudice from customers or other social actors. Formalization of the modes through which platform co...

: The term “gig” denotes a temporary job or assignment. In a gig economy, temporary roles are prevalent and businesses engage independent workers for short-duration projects within a free-market framework. Gig workers encompass freelancers, independent contractors, project-based individuals and temporary or part-time employees. Gig apps and digital platforms frequently serve as intermediaries linking customers with gig workers. The emergence of a gig economy is a contemporary phenomenon influenced by several key factors, with two standing out-increased workforce mobility and growing remote wor...

In the industrial era, traditional firms emerged as an efficient resource allocation, but in the past two decades, informatization and technological development have spawned a series of emerging economic models, among which the gig economy attracts much attention globally.

Researchers are seeking multidisciplinary research into the rapidly evolving gig-economy to help shape the future of work in the sector.

Due to advances in technology like mobile applications and online platforms, millions of American workers now earn income through “gig” work, which allows them the flexibility to set their own hours and choose which jobs to take. To the surprise of many gig workers, the tax law considers them to be “business owners,” which subjects them to onerous recordkeeping and filing requirements, along with the obligation to pay quarterly estimated taxes. This Article proposes two reforms that would drastically reduce compliance burdens for this new generation of business owners, while simultaneously enh...

Unlike traditional firm production, gig economy workers provide their own physical capital. As a consequence, the low‐income households for whom gig economy opportunities are most valuable often borrow to participate. In the context of ride‐share, difference‐in‐difference analysis reveals increased vehicle purchases, borrowing, utilization, and employment around entry, but financially constrained individuals cannot participate. To assess the equilibrium importance of financing, I build and estimate a structural model of the gig economy. Access to finance proves critical for the gig economy's g...

The analysis show that the HR functions in the companies are expected to shape according to the new trends in the GIG economy, and automation and artificial intelligence technologies could have a significant impact on the gig economy.

The post-pandemic economic landscape has witnessed the emergence of a worldwide sharing economy system, commonly known as the ‘gig economy’. This system represents a significant transformation in labor and services exchange characterized by short-term jobs, freelance, or on-demand work arrangements facilitated by digital platforms. Recently, the gig economy has emerged as a highly promising employment preference due to its flexibility. However, it has also led to significant inequality issues for traditional workers. Moreover, this sharing economy system also exerts substantial impacts on the ...

ICAS Director of Taxation Charlotte Barbour MA CA CTA (Fellow) on the tax implications of the gig economy and what makes a 'worker'.

Fixed-term, contract-based employment is continuously spreading in the world. It has been given many names; in this paper it is termed the gig economy in the most comprehensive sense. We are going to present the basic features of the gig economy with special attention to short-term, incentive contracts affecting the relationship between employer and worker. In the gig economy employers use performance related wage to incentivise workers to work with the required intensity. By that incentive, employers also source out their risk to their workers whose wages and all their employment becomes unce...

The prototypical gig worker—a contract driver for a ridesharing company—reports self-employment earnings in the Taxi and Limousine Services industry. Growth in the number of self-employed drivers in this industry has dramatically outpaced the growth in solo self-employment in any other industry. We use rich administrative tax data to explore who these workers are, how that has changed over time and how the new drivers combine self-employment with wage and salary work. Uber’s entrance to a local labor market leads to significant growth in the number of drivers over the following years. Other th...

Eighteen years ago, the New York Times Magazine reported on a proposed online project aimed at protecting the country’s 47,000 strategic facilities, including oil pipelines, power stations, and dams. How do you protect such a vast network of sites vulnerable to sabotage, with limited government resources and personnel? The answer: pay freelance “spotters” eight to ten dollars an hour to check pictures sent to their home computers in order to answer the question: “do you see a person or vehicle in this image?” A confirmed positive sighting would prompt a law enforcement response, “in less than ...

This abstract explores the key characteristics of the gig economy, including its reliance on technology, emphasis on flexibility, and its implications for workers, businesses, and society as a whole.

The current scenario of intentionally reduction in the size of a workforce at all stuffing levels of, brilliant professionals, the gig economy plays a vital role as a source of effect on today’sgeneration of skilled workforce. The gig economy has transformed the traditional working methods, working procedures and working location. The gig economy provides a new way of employment. It provides the opportunities for small businesses, entrepreneurs and freelancers. The objective of this study is to evaluate the changing face of today’s economy. This study enables the changing attributes of the gig...

This article argues that the gig economy is an exploitative extension of the informal economy. With its decentralised promise of individual entrepreneurship, I will argue that it places undue burdens on the worker as an ‘independent contractor’ that would otherwise be upheld by the employer. I will do so by applying a Marcusian analysis of the gig economy, highlighting two primary concerns. First, Marcuse’s critique of ‘industrial rationality’ explains how industrial rationality creates the framework for – and justification of – exploitation within the gig economy. Second, as Wendy Brown...

There are now an estimated 1.1 million people in Britain's gig economy, which is nearly as many workers as in the National Health Service (NHS) England. Over the last five years, the trend of using online platforms to source small, sometimes on-demand, jobs has accelerated, and shows little sign of slowing down. In the largest survey undertaken on Britain's gig economy, the RSA found that young people (aged 16-30) are particularly attracted to the idea of gig work - one in four said they would consider some form of it in future. Given this enormous potential for growth of the gig economy, the ...

The gig economy, which is characterised by flexible and transitory labour arrangements, has acquired considerable traction recently and is revolutionising conventional employment structures. The ramifications of Indias gig economy on HRM practices and its effects on big industries are examined in this research paper. Technology improvements, shifting work choices, and the emergence of digital platforms, among other things, have all contributed to the significant growth of the gig economy in India. The key implications of the gig economy on HRM practices in India are talent acquisition and rec...

Under the present domestic and globally competitive market, Gig Economy has emerged as anew paradigm in the world labour market. It has significant implications across various spheres due to the scalability, innovation and agility that it offers. This study explores the growth and scope of Gig Economy in India and focuses on freelancers who mostly provide services in virtual work set-up. The study is based on primary and secondary data. The primary data is collected by canvassing a questionnaire among 100 respondents across genders and age groups. This study has analysed the future growth of t...

Industry experts estimate that there could be over 15 million gig economy workers in India. Despite its massive potential, India’s gig economy is still at a very nascent stage. Due to the recent pandemic, many companies were forced to trim staff and hire gig workers due to uncertain market conditions. This has dispelled many reservations about the dependability and long-term viability of a gig workforce. India can emerge as one of the largest markets for flexible staffing globally. It is therefore apt that a research article traces the Indian gig economy and draws valid inferences for the huma...

It is shown that algorithmic control is central to the operation of online labour platforms and can result in low pay, social isolation, working unsocial and irregular hours, overwork, sleep deprivation and exhaustion.

This paper takes the gig economy as the research object, and from its definition and characteristics, discusses the changes brought by the gig economy to the traditional economic model in the aspects of work mode and labor relations. At the same time, it introduces the development of the economic model of part-time labor in various countries and the corresponding strategies of each country. This paper discusses the close relationship between the gig economic mode and the supply side reform, innovation and entrepreneurship, internet plus and sharing economy, so as to reflect the significance of...

Penelitian ini berupaya menguraikan perubahan dalam tatanan kehidupan akibat masifnya ekspansi perusahaan berbasis platform digital. Pada bentuk mutakhirnya, revolusi teknologi informasi memungkinkan praktik akumulasi kapital berbasis jaringan dalam bentuk gig economy. Ekspansi pekerjaan gig yang berlangsung melalui platformisasi terjadi dalam kondisi sosial yang spesifik. Dalam melacak lokus relasi sosial dan politik yang berubah sebagai konsekuensi logis dari interkoneksi, fokus diberikan terhadap friksi akibat ekspansi dan akumulasi kapital industri transportasi berbasis platform beserta ra...

In the wake of the Great Recession, labor scholars have explored the series of dramatic, digital transformations of work, employment, and labor relations that has accompanied the extraordinary grow...

This book draws together literature on globalization and small and medium enterprise development and internationalization from disparate sources into a cohesive body of work, which traces the evolution of entrepreneurship and the understanding of the topic.

The ‘gig economy’, comprised of app-enabled enterprises that profit from connecting consumers with service providers through smart communications technology, is growing exponentially. For the workers who provide the services, however, this kind of labour market engagement looks very much like the old ‘on demand’ engagement of labour, pre-dating the emergence of ‘employment’ and the legislation of protective labour standards. This paper (presented to a Festschrift for noted labour law scholar, Professor Ann Numhauser-Henning, at Lund University in March 2017) interrogates the potential for the ...

Abstract:Non-union construction employers have misclassified their workers for decades in order to lower costs, largely motivated by the desire to avoid the high workers' compensation premiums that accompany work in a dangerous industry. They now have a well-established system in which workers function as employees in every respect but are classified as independent contractors.