More than just a gig worker | This report 'delivers' insights into their lives, dreams

India’s gig economy has been growing daily. According to data by NITI Aayog, India has 7.7 million gig workers, and the numbers are expected to swell to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

But do you know who these gig workers are? Borzo, has released a report, ‘Understanding the Life of Gig Delivery Partners,’ to present in-depth insights into the lives of gig delivery partners.

The data suggests that 84 percent of gig workers prefer to use the local language while delivering orders and a staggering 82 percent prefer the local language for online interaction on the delivery app. This further highlights the need to upgrade apps with local language preferences to build comfort, trust and loyalty among customers and gig workers.

The survey also pointed out that 34 percent of the gig workers enjoy working out at the gym, 19 percent like social service or helping in social causes, 15 percent prefer music and 13 percent like playing and watching sports.

“India is known for its multiculturalism and rich diversity. India’s gig economy in the delivery profession has drastically changed with the entry and scale of multiple players. There is a need for a deeper understanding of this profession that can help solve various pain points,” said Eugene Panfilov, General Manager, Borzo, India.

Also read: Urban Company tops Fairwork ranking for gig workers, Ola and Dunzo score zero highlighting need for better policies

Additionally, 38 percent of gig workers in India have studied up to Class 12, and 29 percent are graduates with a degree in B.Com, B.A. or B.Sc. Some of the workers are currently pursuing M.Sc, MCA or have left the course mid-way. The Industrial Training Institute (ITI) has also seen participation in its courses from the gig partners. Fifty-seven percent of gig delivery workers hold a second job while 43 percent perform deliveries full-time.

Little respect and few upskilling opportunities

Gig workers in India often face disrespectful behaviour and their schedules leave them with little opportunity to upskill.

“You people don’t know how to do anything else, that’s why you are in this job, so at least do this work properly, '' said a man as he drove his car away from 20-year-old Rajesh Yadav’s bike, which had hit his car at a junction.

"Humari kaun hi izzzat karega hum to ye aap logon ki tarah bade offices mai kaam thodi karte hai (people usually don't respect us as we don't do corporate jobs)," said Yadav, who is a bike rider with a taxi app.

Kumar, who migrated from Begusarai, Bihar, to Delhi in 2021 to prepare for his engineering exams, took up a gig job to manage his finances, now it’s almost been a year, and he has not been able to switch because of financial problems and workload and no way to upskill.

Also read: Indian startups hiring fewer senior staffers as gig workers muscle in: Razorpay report

As per another survey by CIIE.CO, a startup platform built at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, from the 4,070 individuals surveyed, over 2,000 were 30 years of age or younger. It also pointed out that most of the respondents surveyed had worked in a gig economy platform as their first job. This is representative of young India finding the gig economy and its platforms as crucial sources of financial support and work opportunities.

“Gig working jobs offer flexibility, this helps them (people from the younger generation who are just starting) consider several career options before having to settle down on one by spending time acquiring the education and skills necessary for the job that interests them the most,” said Ujani Ghosh, Manager, Thought Leadership and Policy, IET India.

BetterPlace, a full-stack tech platform for frontline workforce management, recently released its index report for 2022, which showed that in FY22, eight million frontline jobs were created in the country. The report further mentioned that, even though there is huge demand and an adequate supply of employable frontline and gig workers in the ecosystem, their growth is stunted after a point due to a lack of digital and industry-specific skills.

The government and companies have been working towards making upskilling possible for gig workers. Policies like Skill India Mission & India’s National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) have focused on that, and online food delivery platform Swiggy announced a skilling initiative to offer free learning opportunities to thousands of delivery executives and their children.

Experts suggest that knowing the gig worker and understanding their needs and skills is important for companies at a time when the gig economy is reaching new heights.

Also read: Survey shows 52% of gig workers find it difficult to upskill — here's why the skill is the need of the hour