
Economic Survey 2025-26 advocates minimum per-task earnings for gig workers
The Hindu
The Economic Survey 2025-26 calls for minimum earnings for gig workers to improve financial inclusion and address income volatility.
Stating that about 40% of gig workers in India earn below ₹15,000 per month, the Economic Survey 2025-26 called for significant policy interventions in the gig economy, suggesting the setting of "minimum per-hour or per-task earnings", which includes compensation for waiting time, to ensure fair wages and reduce the cost disparity between regular and gig employment.
Tabled in Parliament on Thursday (January 29, 2026), the Survey said the aim of the gig-economy policy should be to reshape terms, allowing workers to exercise genuine choice instead of being forced into gigs by weak demand, skill mismatches, or the lack of a safety net.
Economic Survey 2025-26 LIVE
The gig economy continues to expand rapidly, yet income volatility remains a key issue, creating obstacles to credit access. Financial inclusion for gig workers also trails behind; they face limited 'thin-file' credit options, which continue to raise concerns.
Platform algorithms control work allocation, performance monitoring, wages, and supply-demand matching, raising concerns about algorithmic biases and burnout.
"About 40 per cent of gig workers report earnings below Rs 15,000 per month," the Survey said, adding that limited skilling and fears of job losses due to technological advances such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) exacerbate worker vulnerability.

The U.S. has launched two investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 against India and other economies to examine practices that may be ‘unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce’. One probe examines whether countries, including India, are using excess manufacturing capacity to export to the U.S. in a manner that hurts American businesses, while another looks at whether countries have taken ‘sufficient steps’ to prohibit imports of goods produced with forced labour.












