Are gig workers in India’s labor data?

Gaps in Labour Classification

• The Code on Social Security, 2020 defines gig workers as individuals who participate in work arrangements outside of traditional employer-employee relationships.
• The PLFS, India’s primary labour statistics source, continues to subsume gig work under vague categories such as’self-employed’, ‘own-account workers’, or ‘casual labour’.
• This invisibility has direct consequences, as the PLFS is used for ‘evidence-based policy’ but lacks a distinct category for gig and platform workers.

The PLFS’s Shortcomings

• Gig work is shaped by platform algorithms, performed across multiple apps, and is mostly task-based rather than time-bound.
• Workers have no stable contracts, rely on digital reach, and lack access to benefits or protections available to formal workers.
• Employment uncertainties, income volatility, and algorithm governance remain invisible within PLFS classification.

Recognition Without Representation

• Recent policy efforts like e-Shram registration, digital ID cards, and health coverage under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana indicate the state’s recognition of the gig and platform workforce.
• The 2025 PLFS revision introduced important updates but still does not address the issues of how gig work is defined and understood.
• For inclusive policy making, India must update PLFS classification codes or introduce survey modules that distinctly capture gig work.