The Gig Economy: Satisfaction High But Social Benefits Lacking - Ipsos Report

About 84 per cent of gig workers are satisfied with the nature of their work, but some also raised concerns about the lack of social benefits like insurance and Provident Fund (PF), according to a report on Wednesday.

The report by market research company Ipsos is based on a survey of 3,668 gig workers, across platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Ola, InDrive, Rapido, Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto, BigBasket, and Dunzo, from six metro cities, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad.

High earning potential (29 per cent), flexibility of schedule (27 per cent) and place (89 per cent), and desire for independence (24 per cent), stand out as the top motivators for gig workers to join the sector. Flexibility (31 per cent) across platforms, being their boss (29 per cent) and finding a better work-life balance (25 per cent) were other key aspects of the gig economy.

On the other hand, the survey revealed 29 per cent of gig workers highlighted the lack of social security benefits as a challenge. Further, the survey revealed that in the absence of gig work, only 30 per cent would prefer traditional work/look for a full-time job as an alternative to meet their financial goals.

About 77 per cent of gig workers also said they would recommend their work to others seeking job opportunities.