The staggering growth of gig economy platforms and the workers associated with it has brought into sharp focus several aspects of the future of work and now a 6-city wide survey of gig workers has revealed, why gig work continues to work for millions of Indians. 84% of gig workers are satisfied with their experience of working in the gig economy, as per the Ipsos Survey. High earning potential (29%), flexibility of schedule (27%), and desire for independence (24%), stand out as the top motivators for gig workers to join the sector.
Ipsos Research Private Limited (Ipsos) market research conducted a survey to understand why gig work works and the perception towards gig economy in India during October 2023 to November 2023 amongst 3668 gig workers who were working across platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Ola, InDrive, Rapido, Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto, BigBasket, and Dunzo, across six of the top metro cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Almost 65% of surveyed gig workers claimed they started working in the Gig economy over the last 3 years.
Gig work was the primary source of income for a whopping 88% of gig workers. More than two-thirds of gig workers stated that platform work provides them sufficient monthly earnings to sustain their livelihood. Of the remaining, 43% of the surveyed claim that their earnings have remained the same after switching to gig work from their previous work.
89% of the surveyed gig workers feel that gig work offers them flexibility in terms of when and where to work. Flexibility remains the key aspect (31%) across platforms that gig workers like about their work followed by being their own boss (29%) and finding a better work-life balance (25%). The ‘choice to switch between platforms’ and ‘diverse income streams account’ together accounts for less than 5% and are not a major influence.
Interestingly, one-third of the surveyed gig workers claim that gig work provided them the opportunity to move from their hometown to a bigger city. Need for low investment to begin earning (26%) was the next most favored positive aspect of gig work. 18% of surveyed gig workers also value that platform-based work has helped them sustain their family which would have been tougher in absence of such work.
On the other hand, the Ipsos Survey reveals 29% of surveyed gig workers feel that lack of social security benefits such as insurance and PF remains a common challenge.
In the absence of gig work, only 30% would prefer traditional work/ look for a full-time job as an alternative to meet their financial goals. Going back to their hometown/village to find work ranks at the bottom (8%) on the list of alternatives to gig work. Close to three fourth (77%) of gig workers would recommend gig work to others seeking work opportunities.
Survey Methodology
The objective of the survey conducted was ‘To measure the impact of the gig economy on gig workers and understand the reasons why workers continue to join it.’ Both qualitative and quantitative methodology Were used to generate insights. Face to Face CAPI interviews were conducted, whereas In-depth interviews were conducted among target respondents. The period of survey was conducted between 18th October and 20th November 2023. A total sample of 3668 was achieved across 6 centers covering Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
