It’s all about hours clocked—Urban Company data punctures work value talk

According to data released Wednesday by home services platform Urban Company, the top 5% of professionals spent an average of 167 hours per month working on the platform; This is almost double the hours logged by the average Urban Company ‘partner’. These hours are measured as ‘login time’, including both active hours and time spent waiting for further orders. Net earnings per hour were approximately the same for the entire group. ₹310-313. The data belongs to the period April-December 2025.

Top performers are average ₹51,673 per month compared to ₹28,322 for the average professional, data shows earnings are higher due to longer working hours and greater volume, rather than increased productivity or higher pay rates.

Service professionals earn as much as, and sometimes more than, entry-level salaried professionals in the information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services industries, Urban Company said in a press release.

“Our focus is to continue nurturing this ecosystem by leveraging demand, increasing efficiency and investing in the long-term career progression of service partners on our platform,” Urban Company’s chief executive officer (CEO) Abhiraj Bhal said in a statement. he said.

However, disgruntled gig workers and the unions that represent them point out that, unlike ‘white collar’ salaried jobs, gig jobs do not offer higher pay for better skills or a ladder to promotion. Urban Company’s own data shows that even the top 5% of its employees earn more almost entirely because they order more, not because they are paid better for their skills.

Quality work?

Days after major labor unions staged a strike on New Year’s Eve, Deepinder Goyal, vice-chairman and director of Eternal Ltd (parent of aggregator Zomato and Blinkit), argued that flexible jobs were good for the economy.

“I repeat, gig workers are one of the largest engines of organized job creation in India,” Goyal said in a post on social media platform X. “We also provide insurance, fair, timely and predictable wages. Gig doesn’t need more regulation, it needs less regulation. It will bring on board more people who can earn some money, develop themselves and then join India’s organized workforce.” he said.

In its Dec. 26 FY20 shareholders letter, Eternal said its delivery partners typically have approximately ₹18,000- ₹An average of 22,000 per month, with top performers earning more than 22,000 ₹30,000 depending on hours worked, order volumes and incentives.

However, gig workers and their unions say there is no long-term value in working on aggregator platforms, even if salaries are higher than entry-level IT professionals.

“I don’t have fixed monthly earnings anymore. I was earning when I started,” said a beauty services associate who has worked at Urban Company since 2018. ₹55,000- ₹60,000 a month, but I only made it last month ₹13,000.”

The partner said prices for services have fallen significantly and costs have increased as competition has increased. “A service that was previously priced at approx. ₹1,400 is very close right now ₹800, although costs for beauty products and travel have risen sharply. The platform’s commissions have also increased. from earnings before ₹600, about ₹30 went as commissions; almost now ₹59 goes as a convenience fee and used to be ₹There were 30 cuts ₹100,” said the service provider.

“Urban Company workers are being forced to work longer hours due to declining take-home pay, yet they still lack basic dignity in the workplace,” said Nirmal Gorana, national coordinator of the Gig and Platform Service Workers Union. “Many of them are not even allowed to use the toilet in customers’ homes. They previously had the option to refuse jobs, but now they feel obliged to agree to every request and their identities may be blocked if they cancel five services.”

Gorana said female workers also face other problems. “They don’t even have access to paid menstrual leave. These aren’t just earnings issues, they’re basic workers’ rights concerns.”

some reforms

India’s new labor laws, which come into effect in late 2025, for the first time, officially recognize gig and platform workers and extend social security coverage to them; This is a major structural change after years outside formal labor law.

Aggregator platforms such as Eternal, Uber and Urban Company are now required to contribute approximately 1-2% of their annual turnover to a Social Security Fund for these employees; this is a cap of up to 5% of total payments to the workforce. To ensure portability of benefits, workers also need to register for Aadhaar-linked accounts.

“The narrative around gig work is changing,” said Kartik Narayan, CEO of Apna Jobs Marketplace, adding that while gig roles remain largely contractual and seasonal, the introduction of social security provisions marks a significant structural shift.

“It’s not going to change everything overnight, but it creates a fundamental layer of protection that didn’t exist before,” Narayan said, referring to measures such as insurance and official registration of gig workers. he said.