India’s Gig Economy

One doesn’t read of India’s economy having transformed from a traditional one to a ‘Gig Economy’. The mainstream media seems unable to overcome its obsession with periodic economic data releases comprising of inflation, manufacturing data etc. For the uninitiated, the words ‘Gig Economy’ refer to temporary jobs that are offered to independent contractors (freelancers), that replace the erstwhile ‘full-time’ jobs. A ‘Gig Economy’ undermines and is many ways contrary to the traditional economy wherein there are full-time jobs involving a lifetime of career building. The transformation of the Indian Economy from a conventional to a gig is well underway and is now picking up momentum.

While there has been some mention of the transformation in the media (read here, here and here, the market seems to be paying very little attention to the change. Interacting with the ‘workers’ of the Gig economy seems to suggest that websites like Sulekha.com and JustDial.com seem to be uniquely positioned to emerge as winners.