The Socioeconomic Impact of the Gig Economy in India: A Review of Opportunities, Risks, and Policy Responses

Abstract—Digital platforms are reshaping how work isaccessed, organised, and compensated in India. Theirexpansion creates opportunities for income generation,market access, and service innovation, while raisingconcerns about earnings volatility, contractual insecurity,algorithmic control, and uneven social protection. Thispaper presents a focused narrative review of selectedinstitutional research, a scholarly study, labour legislation,and official policy updates. It distinguishes the wider gigeconomy from platform-mediated work and examinessocioeconomic effects through employment access, jobquality, household resilience, and institutionalaccountability. The synthesis indicates that participationgrowth does not, by itself, establish improvements inwelfare: outcomes depend on net earnings, effectiveautonomy, work-related costs, and access to remedies andbenefits. National social-security provisions, e-Shramregistration, and state-level welfare legislation representimportant policy developments, but statutory recognitionand administrative enrolment should not be equated withdemonstrated benefit delivery. The paper proposes acoordinated approach centred on portable protection,transparent earnings and automated decisions, accessiblegrievance resolution, and stronger measurement ofworking conditions. Its conclusions are interpretive ratherthan causal and identify priorities for future empiricalevaluation.