Gig workforce to add up to 11 mn jobs in India by 2025

NEW DELHI: India is likely to see its gig workforce add 9-11 million jobs by 2025, which has been one of the most pivotal economic shifts in a long time, a report showed on Wednesday.

In terms of job roles, door delivery is the most prevalent gig role employers are hiring for currently - 22 per cent for food and 26 per cent for other deliveries.

In addition, 16 per cent of the employers surveyed are hiring gig workers for household/vehicle repairs and maintenance and for cab/two-wheeler driving, 10 per cent are hiring for cleaning, and 7 per cent for personal care service roles, according to latest findings from job site Indeed.

Gig workers are freelancers or contractors who work independently, typically on a short-term basis for multiple clients. Their work may be project-based, hourly, or part-time.

"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," said Sashi Kumar, Head of Sales, Indeed India.

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

Challenges in language also result in other difficulties with 14 per cent of the gig workforce respondents reporting a lack of awareness of their jobs' skills and abilities, it added.

From an employer point of view, the top 3 challenges faced in hiring for gig job roles are resume and interviewing skills (52 per cent) and poor awareness of required skills and abilities (51 per cent) on the part of jobseekers, and the screening and assessing of jobseekers (37 per cent).

Nearly three out of five gig workers (59 per cent) find their jobs uncomfortable (46 per cent), if not hard and risky (13 per cent).