Size and Composition of Gig Workforce in India and Estimation of Its Size in the State of Assam and Guwahati Metropolitan Area

Abstract

In recent years, the gig work has emerged as a vital component of India’s labour market, reshaping employment relations and creating new avenues for income generation, particularly in the service sector. However, the details about the size, growth, and composition of these emerging sectors have yet to be widely known. While some data are available at the national level, the state-level pictures are still sketchy. This paper examines the size and composition of the gig workforce at the all-India level and attempts to estimate its size in the state of Assam and the Guwahati Metropolitan Area. Further, the composition of the gig workforce, its sectoral, occupational, and skill level-based classifications, as well as their formal, informal, organised, and unorganised characteristics, have been examined at the all-India level. To estimate the gig workforce in Assam and Guwahati, a methodological framework has been developed using ratios of the state versus the national level of workforce and population. The paper uses data from the NITI Aayog (2022) report for analysis. The findings show that the gig workforce has been a growing component of the country's labour force.