NITI Aayog report highlights the potential of gig workers

while releasing the report drew attention towards the job creation potential of this sector on the back of the rising urbanisation and widespread access to digital technologies, smartphones and internet in the country. As per the findings of this report, 77 lakh workers were engaged in the gig economy in 2020–21. It is estimated that the gig workforce is expected to expand to 2.35 crore workers by the year 2029–30.

Gig workers are expected to form 6.7% of the non-agricultural workforce or 4.1% of the total livelihood in India by 2029–30. Currently in medium skilled jobs, over 47% of the gig work is involved while about 22% of them are engaged in high skilled job, and  31% of them are engaged in low skilled jobs. As per the ongoing trends, the number of the workers in medium skills jobs is declining gradually while the workforce in low skilled as well as high skilled is increasing.

According to this report,  apart from linking self-employed individuals selling regional and rural cuisine, and street food with the platforms,  the growing access to finance for gig workers is meant to equip them with the capacity to sell their produce to the wider markets across cities and the towns. The report also recommends to include undertaking a separate enumeration exercise for estimating the size of the platform and gig workforce apart from collecting information through Periodic Labour Force Survey to identify the gig workers.

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