Business APAC
7th April 2025
Will India’s Gig Workers Get Real Security Shield —or Just Promises?
So, it looks like some good news might be on the horizon for India’s gig workers. There’s talk of the government finally putting together a proper social security system for them. Think about it – millions of folks out there are hustling in all sorts of flexible jobs, from delivering your dinner to driving you across town, and they often don’t have the kind of safety net that traditional employees take for granted.
This new framework promises things like health coverage, maybe even some kind of pension, and support if they have an accident. It’s a big deal considering how much the gig economy has exploded in India, with platforms connecting people for all kinds of work.
Now, while everyone’s cheering about this, there’s a bit of a sticky point: lots of gig workers in India juggle multiple jobs. You know, moonlighting. They might drive for one app in the morning and deliver for another in the evening, or maybe freelance on the side. And this habit of having a few different income streams could throw a wrench in the works when it comes to Gig Workers Social Security.
Is It Real Progress or Just More Paperwork? Gig Workers Still Wait for Social Security Clarity
We’re already seeing some movement on this front. Places like Rajasthan and Karnataka have started making changes to give gig workers some social security. Karnataka, for instance, is looking at collecting a small fee from the platforms to help fund these welfare measures. Plus, in the big Union Budget for 2025, they put the spotlight on how important gig workers are to our cities.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman even announced they’re going to extend the e-Shram portal so more gig workers can get ID cards. Around 70,000 have already signed up by February, according to some folks in Parliament. And get this – the Budget also included a crore gig workers under that Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana thing, which gives you health coverage in case you need to go to the hospital.
But back to the moonlighting question. If someone’s earning bits and pieces from different apps or clients, how do you figure out how much they should contribute to Gig Workers Social Security? And who’s even going to keep track of all that? If it’s based on what they make from just one platform, it might not be enough for their overall income. It’s a bit of a puzzle.
For many gig workers, having multiple gigs isn’t some fancy side hustle – it’s how they make ends meet. The work can be unpredictable, and the hours can be all over the place, so they often need to piece together income from different sources. But this could make the whole Gig Workers Social Security thing complicated.
The Moonlighting Issue: Key Challenges for Gig Worker Social Security
- Counting the Cash: Figuring out how much a gig worker should contribute to social security is tricky when their income comes in bits from different apps or clients. How do you add it all up correctly?
- Who Qualifies? If someone works for multiple platforms, hopping between gigs, how do you decide if they’ve worked or earned enough to be eligible for benefits like health coverage or a pension?
- Whose Job Is It? When a gig worker uses several different apps to earn money, it’s not clear which platform, if any, should be responsible for paying their share of social security contributions.
- Saving for Later: Unlike traditional jobs where pension savings build up with one employer, gig workers often have varied work histories. How do you ensure their retirement savings accumulate fairly across different gigs and platforms?
Are Promises to Gig Workers Just Talk—Or Will Real Protection Finally Happen?
So, will this social security shield be a game-changer for gig workers? On the face of it, absolutely. Getting access to things like health insurance and some form of retirement savings would be a massive step forward for a workforce that often operates without these basic protections. The inclusion under PMJAY for health coverage is a tangible win right there. However, the devil’s in the details, isn’t it? If the system isn’t designed with the realities of gig work – especially the prevalence of moonlighting – in mind, it could end up being more of a headache than help.
If contributions are too complicated to manage across multiple platforms, or if the benefits don’t cater to the intermittent nature of gig work, then many workers might find it difficult to access or benefit from these schemes.
The key will be in creating a system that’s flexible, easy to understand, and genuinely reflects the way gig workers live and earn their livelihoods. Only then will this Gig Workers Social Security promise truly translate into a meaningful safety net for India’s growing gig economy.
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