India’s gig workforce to reach 2.35cr or 23.5 million by 2030

• report on India’s gig and platform economy - NITI Aayog
• estimated: 77 lakhs gig workers in 2020-21
• code on social security 2020

NCAER report, 2023-24

• The online food delivery sector is growing at an average of 18% per annum, more than double the growth of India's GDP.
• As per an NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research) Prosus report. India's food delivery platform sector generated ₹1.2 lakh crore in gross output in 2023-24
• Direct employment increased from 1.08 million workers to 1.37 million workers in 2023-24.
• The employment grew at a CAGR of 12.3% compared to an all-India CAGR of 7.9%.
• The production worth of Rs 10 lakh in the food delivery platform sector led to the generation of production worth Rs 25 lakh in the entire economy.

December 2025

Swiggy, Zomato raise gig workers payout amid new year is strike calls

Telangana gig and platform workers union and Indian federation of app based transport workers have claimed that lakhs of workers are said to join the national wide strike to demand better payouts and improved working conditions.

Zomato's action

• Zomato is offer delivery partners payouts of rupees 120 to rupees 150 per order during peak hours between 6 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. on New years Eve.
• The platform is also promised earnings of to rupees 3000 over the course of the day subject to order volumes and worker availability.
• Zomato has also temporary waived penalties and orders and cancellations. Eternal loans is Zomato and blinkit brands.

Massive strike on December 25

The massive December 25 strike which is thousands of delivery workers log of platform across Telangana and other regions, gig workers have announced an escalated Nation wide strike on December 31 2025.

Nationwide strike on December 31st

The gig and platform service workers union also announced the nation wide strike on 31st December 2025 to collectively raise demands conserving the rights, welfare and dignity of gig and perform workers across India. Business Standard

Zomato terminates nearly 5000 gig workers a month - Deepinder Goyal

Around 1,50,000 to 2,00,000 workers leave the platform voluntarily.

Concerns about Social Security and wages

• Gig worker unions raised concerns like lack of Social Security and inadequate wages.

• The Zomato founder had countered these claims, saying, "The company provides insurance in case a gig worker ties in accident and also extends job offers to families."

Karma system of Zomato

• Goyal mentioned that customers also commit frauds in some cases. To tackle this, the company has created karma System, which internally rates both customers and gig workers.

• Whenever there are complaints, the company looks at the credibility of both the customer and the workers via its rating metric to provide a resolution. Business standard

January 2026

Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal to defend the Gig Worker model

Average earning increased 10.9%

1. In 2025, delivery partners earned an average of Rs.102 per hour, excluding tips, up from Rs.92 in 2024, a clear 10.9% increase.
   • ₹92 —> ₹102 / per hour
2. For those working longer hours like 10 hrs a day, 26 days a month, gross earnings could reach around ₹26,500 or ₹21,000 Rs after fuel and maintenance cost.
3. The delivery partners also keep 100% of the customer tips, averaging ₹2.6 per hour in 2025.

Flexibility in choosing location, time and hours to work

1. In 2025, the average partner worked 38 days a year for 7 hours per day, with only a tiny fraction exceeding to 50 days.
2. Delivery partners choose their working areas and hours, logging in and out freely. The flexibility makes gig work a reliable side income, not a rigid full-time job, allowing workers to earn while balancing other responsibilities.

Proximate warehouses help quickest deliveries

1. On the claim about 10-minute delivery promises leading to unsafe driving, he clarified that partners never see a timer or a countdown in the app. Quick deliveries happen because stores are close to the customers, not because the riders are forced to speed.
2. Blinkit orders averaged 2 km/delivery taking 8 minutes at 16 km/hr, while Zomato deliveries were slightly faster at 21 km/hr.

Insurance premiums by Zomato and Blinkit

1. In 2025, Zomato and Blinkit together spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance premiums fully borne by the company with claims processed quickly and without hazards.

Other coverage includes:

• Accident Insurance of up to Rs. 10 lakh
• Medical Insurance of Rs. 1 lakh
• OPD expenses of Rs. 5,000
• Loss of pay insurance of up to Rs. 50,000
• Maternity insurance providing coverage of up to Rs. 40,000

Other Initiatives

1. Register days/month for Women Partners
2. Income Tax Filing Support for 95,000 workers
3. Gig Adapted National Pension Scheme Access for 54,000 Partners
4. SOS Emergency Service for Accidents, Vehicle Breakdowns, and Theft Business Standard

Labour codes

• Gig and platform workers have been recognized as a distinct category of labor under the Code on Social Security 2020.
• This recognition enables the Union and State Governments to notify Social Security Schemes covering:
  • life and disability insurance
  • accident insurance
  • health and maternity benefits
  • old age protection,
  • with funding sourced from a combination of government contribution and a mandatory levy of 1 to 2% of annual turnover, capped at 5% of the amount paid to gig workers.
• The code allows these benefits to be portable, which means if the worker moves from one platform to another, the benefits can be ported.
• In the absence of a specific fixation of minimum wage, the regular and general minimum wage will be applicable here as well. Print