Gigonomics 2.0: Futureproofing India's gig workers
digital film by Urban Company launched on its ninth anniversary, draws attention to an often overlooked but crucial concept of the dignity of labour and serves as a poignant reminder that every occupation deserves respect and acknowledgement. In the video, an innocuous interaction between a service partner and a young boy during a bathroom cleaning service takes a serious turn when the boy innocently asks the professional if he ended up doing what he does because he wasn’t good at his studies. The Urban Company professional breaks the awkward silence, smiles and assures the boy that grades don’t matter if you studied well.
Just as it doesn’t matter what you do when you grow up, as long as you do it well. Whether we run a company, create content, write code, or work as a massage therapist, work connects us all . And unbeknownst even to us, it makes us part of something larger than every single one of us.
This is especially true of the 7.7 million-strong workforce that powers India’s gig economy today. Gig economy refers to a labour market driven by short-term, flexible jobs. The drivers from your preferred ride-hailing app, the delivery executives from the restaurant aggregator, and your Urban Company professional are all gig workers.
According to a NITI Aayog report, by 2029-30, India will have 23.5 million gig workers, a growth of 200 per cent from today’s numbers. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) reports that India’s gig economy is growing at a CAGR of 17 per cent annually. Boston Consulting Group also indicates that the gig economy can service up to 90 million jobs, transact over $250 billion in the volume of work, and, over time, contribute an incremental 1.25 per cent to the GDP over the
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