Abstract

India’s gig and platform economy has expanded rapidly in the last decade, accelerated by smartphone adoption, digital payments, and the growth of app-based marketplaces that match workers with customers in real time. The sector now spans location-based services (ride-hailing, food delivery, hyperlocal logistics), online freelancing (IT, design, content, data services), and a wide range of on-demand home and business services. While gig work has created new livelihood opportunities for youth, migrants, and workers transitioning out of agriculture and other informal work, it has also exposed workers to high income volatility, opaque algorithmic management, weak grievance redressal, occupational safety risks, and limited access to social protection. This paper reviews the rise of the gig economy in India during the post-pandemic period (2021–2025), identifies key structural and regulatory challenges, and outlines a policy pathway for inclusive growth. Drawing on secondary sources including government policy briefs, international labour literature, and recent administrative updates, the study argues that the next phase of gig-economy growth must be anchored in portable social security, minimum standards for pay and working conditions, transparency of platform governance, and targeted skilling for upward mobility.