Waiting for the next order: Gig workers endure cold nights, low pay and rising risks

Waiting in the dead of the night, Nabeel sits on his scooter, watching his phone and waiting for the next order that will let him blow off some steam. His hands have frozen in the winter cold, and he has completed only two deliveries so far. He knows it will be a long night; during winter, even the shortest night feels endless. Seated by the roadside, he keeps glancing anxiously at his phone until it finally chimes.

Despite the 10-minute delivery system being a relic of the past, old habits die hard. Nabeel readies himself and rushes to collect what the customer wants. It is his third delivery of the night, and the night has only just begun.

What the Economic Survey 2025–26 says

The Economic Survey 2025–26 states that India’s gig workforce has grown to 1.2 crore people, representing about 2% of the national workforce. However, roughly 40% of these workers earn less than Rs 15,000 per month.

To address this gap, the Survey recommends implementing minimum per-hour or per-task earnings, including compensation for waiting time, to bridge the cost difference between gig work and regular formal employment.

The document flags several systemic challenges, including income volatility, limited access to credit and the dominance of platform algorithms that control work allocation and wages. These factors often result in algorithmic bias and worker burnout. The lack of access to productive assets such as vehicles or tools also prevents many workers from moving into higher-skilled roles. The Survey suggests that platforms should co-invest in training and equipment to enable upward mobility.

The proposed policy framework seeks to shift the gig economy from a necessity driven by weak demand into a sector where workers exercise genuine choice. This would require addressing the concentration of power held by platforms through competition rules and greater data transparency.

Projections indicate that non-agricultural gig work will account for 6.7% of the workforce by 2029–30.

Sustaining without support

Nabeel is one among nearly one crore gig workers who depend on this heavily informal form of employment to meet their basic needs.

“Normally, my per month take-home salary from gig work does not cross over Rs 10,000,” he said. “While this is not what everyone is earning, a significant number of gig workers earn around that amount. I also know workers who are earning over Rs 30,000 from gig work, but they are operating on multiple applications themselves.”

According to him, a relatively comfortable income is possible only if one works continuously for an entire week, often for hours on stretch without a break.

“They said that the 10-minute delivery system would be removed. It was, but now the onus falls on us to deliver within the space of 15 minutes at least,” said Ram Nirman, a delivery partner with Zomato.

Study highlights safety and health risks

The occupational landscape for platform workers in India is marked by significant physical and safety risks. A study titled Occupational Safety and Health of Platform-Based Gig Workers in India by Janpahal highlights the scale of these challenges.

Road-related hazards are a primary concern, with 62.2% of workers reporting near-misses with vehicles and 38% suffering injuries due to poor road conditions. Beyond accidents, the work environment is often hostile: 34.1% of workers reported having personally experienced harassment, abuse or violence, while 26.6% said they had witnessed such incidents.

Despite these risks, institutional support remains limited. Nearly 60% of workers receive no safety training or resources from platforms, and 56.8% express a total lack of confidence in app-based safety reporting channels, pointing to a deep trust deficit between workers and digital platforms.

The study also underlines a major gap in social security and health protections. About 44.2% of workers operate without any accident insurance, while 62% lack health insurance altogether. Given the physical toll of the work, this absence of coverage is particularly concerning. More than 64% report fatigue and sleep disruption, and 47.42% suffer from musculoskeletal injuries. Yet 68.4% receive no health-related support from platforms, forcing them to manage long-term health consequences on their own.

Basic workplace amenities, standard in traditional office settings, are largely absent. The study describes a ‘de facto’ workplace with little infrastructure: 74.6% of workers have no access to rest areas, and 43.5% rarely take breaks, often due to algorithm-driven pressure. Even essentials such as drinking water and sanitation are either inaccessible or monetised, with 53.8% purchasing their own water and 43.9% relying on paid public toilets. This compels workers to spend part of their already limited earnings just to meet basic needs during a shift.

Extreme weather has emerged as another critical occupational hazard. As many as 84.64% of workers identify extreme heat as a major challenge. Around 42.26% say heat has a major impact on their ability to work, leading to symptoms such as heat exhaustion (61.8%) and dehydration (50.4%). While workers attempt to cope by using weather-appropriate gear or reducing working hours, this directly affects their income. Platforms, the study notes, have been slow to respond.

Nearly 74.87% of workers report that their platforms provide no specific policies or guidance for extreme weather, leaving them to navigate worsening climate conditions without a safety net.

‘No help if something goes wrong’

Lokesh Basoya, a bike taxi driver, spoke about coping with extreme temperatures, which he said has become unavoidable since this is now his only source of income.

“While the cab services are much better than the platforms, since there is mostly no hurry, there remains a sense of insecurity when it comes to being hurt in an accident,” he said. “Even if the fault is not mine, the company will not come to help me out since there is no provision for insurance in any form. Being a bike taxi driver is only feasible if you have another job on the side, otherwise 25% of the fare is already taken by the company.”

Protests continue

“The fight is to make the government recognise platform work as work, and extending occupational safety, health and social security protections to gig workers is urgent, especially as the platform economy continues to expand and climate risks intensify,” said Nitesh Kumar Das, Organising Secretary, Gig Workers Association.

On February 3, a large group of gig workers went on strike to demand dignity and formal recognition of platform work. Until substantive protections are put in place, workers say, the sector will continue to grow as one of India’s fastest-expanding informal economies, leaving millions exposed to insecurity and risk.