What India’s new labour codes mean for gig and platform workers

December 9, 2025 5:32 PM

What India’s new labour codes mean for gig and platform workers

India’s rapidly expanding gig and platform workforce has become a key driver of the country’s digital economy, powered by a young labour pool, rising smartphone penetration and fast-paced urbanisation. For years, this segment operated outside formal labour structures — flexible and in high demand, but largely unprotected. That changed on November 21, 2025, when the government implemented four new Labour Codes — the Code on Wages (2019), the Industrial Relations Code (2020), the Code on S...

Gig workers recognised in law for the first time as new Labour Codes take effect

November 21, 2025 9:46 PM

Gig workers recognised in law for the first time as new Labour Codes take effect

India’s new Labour Codes, which replace 29 existing labour laws, are expected to significantly enhance worker welfare while extending formal protections to gig and platform workers for the first time. The four Codes introduce uniform wage rules, stronger safety standards and simplified compliance for employers across sectors. Under the new framework, all workers will be entitled to minimum wages, salary credit by the 7th of every month, double wages for overtime and mandatory appointment lett...

India’s gig economy expands rapidly, government steps up worker welfare measures

September 1, 2025 11:26 AM

India’s gig economy expands rapidly, government steps up worker welfare measures

India’s fast-growing gig and platform workforce is reshaping the world of work, creating new opportunities in urban and semi-urban centres while also posing significant challenges around social security and worker protection. With its half-a-billion-strong labour force, the world’s youngest demographic profile, rapid urbanisation, and widespread smartphone penetration, the country is emerging as a global hub for gig-driven transformation, according to official data. The gig economy, broadl...

Budget 2025: FM proposes ID cards for gig workers, UPI-linked credit cards for street vendors

February 1, 2025 1:22 PM

Budget 2025: FM proposes ID cards for gig workers, UPI-linked credit cards for street vendors

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her Budget 2025 presentation, announced a range of initiatives aimed at empowering gig workers and street vendors, signaling a continued push toward inclusive development. In a landmark move, the government will issue ID cards to gig workers, granting them access to healthcare and other social security benefits through a newly proposed welfare scheme. The initiative aims to support urban and online platform workers by providing identity cards and faci...