Workers on life in India’s post-Covid, post-Great Resignation, gig economy: ‘Like I’m working all the time’

Whether it is the work-from-home revolution or the Great Resignation, the global workforce has seen plenty of twists and turns in the more than two years since a “novel” coronavirus first hit the headlines.

Among the most seismic shifts, however, is how the pandemic has fuelled a trend that was already under way: the rise of the gig economy in which workers take on temporary, flexible jobs, often arranged online, rather than full-time employment.

In some areas – such as e-commerce, logistics, and consultancy – “flexi-staffing” is swiftly becoming the norm rather than an exception. Powering this shift is the emergence of digital platforms like online delivery services, OTT content, edtech, and virtual payment systems that have made it easy for employers to casually hook up with a freelance workforce, coupled with the growing use of mobile phones. India is estimated to have 700 million internet users and 600 million smartphone users.

Over the past two years, salaried jobs have dipped by about 10 per cent to 77 million workers, according to the independent Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy think tank. At the same time, the number of daily wage labourers and small traders has been rising – an extra 11.2 million were added during November 2021 alone.

From a macroeconomic perspective, it’s a boon. The Boston Consulting Group estimates gig-economy jobs have the potential to employ 90 million people in non-agriculture sectors, add more than US$250 billion to the volume of work, and contribute a 1.25 per cent rise in the country’s gross domestic product.

And for the workers themselves? It’s a little more complicated. Being your own boss has its perks, but there are downsides too – not least among them the lack of a regular income and the stress of finding work.