Labour Ministry Pushes for Comprehensive Gig Worker Registration to Boost Social Security

The announcement was made after a review meeting chaired by Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. During the meeting, Mandaviya emphasized the government’s commitment to formalizing the gig workforce and extending critical social security benefits to this segment. “An online window will be made available to aggregators to ensure a smooth and efficient registration process,” Mandaviya said during the meeting. The move is expected to facilitate the seamless onboarding of gig workers, including delivery personnel, ride-hailing drivers, and freelance professionals, onto the ministry’s existing database of informal workers.

Mandaviya also highlighted that the government is exploring ways to provide social security benefits, similar to those already available to informal workers registered on the e-Shram portal. Launched in 2021, the e-Shram portal serves as the first national database of informal workers, including gig workers, migrants, street vendors, domestic workers, and agricultural labourers. The platform has registered millions of workers to date, enabling them to access various government benefits.

A registered worker under the e-Shram scheme enjoys benefits such as free ration under the public distribution system at their place of work, annual travel allowances provided by employers, and insurance coverage under public schemes.  Extending such benefits to gig and platform workers would be a significant milestone in the government’s efforts to support this often-overlooked segment of the workforce. It would also address a long-standing demand from workers’ rights groups and advocates, who argue that these individuals—despite being integral to the economy—remain largely undocumented and excluded from traditional labour protections.

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Mandaviya also noted that the Social Security Code 2020, which was introduced to cover gig and platform workers, is a significant move towards recognizing their roles in the economy. This code, part of a broader labour reform effort by the government, provides a legal framework for extending social security measures to gig workers.

As India’s gig economy continues its exponential growth, the Labour Ministry is laying the groundwork for a more equitable labour market that recognizes and supports the contributions of all workers, regardless of their employment structure.

While the enactment of the Social Security Code marks a crucial step forward, its implementation has faced delays as many states have not yet framed the necessary rules required for their execution. The BJP government passed four labour codes, including the Social Security Code, during its previous term, aiming to consolidate 29 complex federal laws governing labour.

India’s gig economy has seen remarkable growth in recent years, with platforms like Uber, Ola, Swiggy, and Zomato expanding rapidly to cater to a growing urban demand for digital services. According to the Economic Survey 2023-24, the number of gig workers in India is expected to surge to 23.5 million by 2029-30, nearly tripling from the 7.7 million estimated in 2020-21. As Asia’s third-largest economy continues to grow, so too will its reliance on gig and platform workers.