Gig work a full-time job for many in India, finds survey

A nationwide survey by a non-governmental organisation, Janpahal, has found that platform work has become a long-term form of employment in the country. Nearly 57% of workers, surveyed by the organisation, said they worked more than 49 hours a week, while almost 23% worked over 70 hours. It added that more than 72.3% have remained on platforms for over one year, including 38.4% for more than two years and 18.4% for over five years.

The 84-page report, titled ‘Occupational Safety and Health of Platform-based Gig Workers in India: Report on a Nationwide Survey’, added that India’s rapidly expanding platform economy is being sustained by millions of workers who face unsafe working conditions, excessive working hours, increasing climate-related risks, inadequate social protection, and limited access to even basic workplace facilities.

The NGO said it surveyed 1,000 platform workers across 10 Indian cities to understand the working conditions of food delivery workers, ride-hailing drivers, e-commerce delivery personnel, and workers engaged in household and personal care services.

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It noted that workers lacked access to basic workplace facilities. “Nearly 74.6% reported having no access to rest areas. 53.8% had to purchase drinking water using their own money. 66.2% rarely or never took breaks during working hours. 43.9% relied on paid public toilets, 15% had no toilet access while working, and 11.3% depended on restaurants or customers’ homes to use washrooms,” it said. Also, 62.2% of workers experienced near-miss road accidents, 27% reported traffic accidents while working, and 38% suffered injuries caused by poor road conditions.

More than 34.1% of workers experienced harassment, abuse or violence while working, while 26.6% witnessed similar incidents involving fellow workers, demonstrating that occupational risks extend well beyond road accidents.

“64.5% reported fatigue and sleep disruption, 47.4% suffered musculoskeletal pain, 41.1% experienced stress and anxiety, 30% reported eye strain, and 26.5% suffered respiratory problems associated with prolonged outdoor work and pollution. Yet 68.4% reported receiving no health-related support from the platforms they work for,” it added.

Janpahal demanded urgent reforms to ensure safe and dignified working conditions for platform workers and recommended legal recognition of platform workers as workers with enforceable rights; implementation of occupational safety and health standards; access to toilets, drinking water, rest areas and shaded spaces; climate-responsive workplace policies; statutory mechanisms to promote workers’ voices and stronger accountability of digital labour platforms for the safety and well-being of the workers.