India gig economy: Morning Brief Podcast: When Grinch Almost Stole Gig Workers’ Christmas
India’s gig economy is at a crossroads. Sold as a model of flexibility and scale, it is now under scrutiny as workers protest falling wages, increased oppression and a lack of basic protections. This chapter examines the deeper tensions between flexibility and dignity, efficiency and responsibility that power India’s convenience economy. At one end is a labor market overflowing with millions of workers struggling to find formal employment. The other has a platform-oriented system …Read moreIt relies on volatility, algorithmic control, and high volatility to work. As flexible working expands rapidly, questions about minimum earnings, accident insurance, social security and predictability have moved from the margins to the center of policy debates. Host Neil Ghai speaks with apna.co CEO Kartik Narayan and Khaitan & Co Partner Anshul Prakash as they review India’s new labor laws that formally recognize gig workers but fall short of granting them full employment rights. Because enforcement is largely left to the states, results can vary widely across the country.
