Economic Survey for 2025-26, presented January 29, 2026 in Parliament,shows upbeat employment trends in India. Unemployment rates dropping . But flags big worries about income instability and financial exclusion for gig workers,fast-growing part of workforce .
Country's seen strong job growth. Structural reforms,tax changes,skill development all playing a role. Report says deregulation, GST 2.0, state-level labor reforms boosted labor force participation across industries and services.
The survey praises Labour Codes,suggesting they will boost formal job opportunities,especially for women and gig workers . New work definitions demand adaptable labor policies. Flexibility needed to create jobs,protect workers.
Gig economy booming. Sectors like delivery, ride-sharing,freelancing expanding fast. From 7.7 million in 2020-21,workers surged 55% to 12 million by 2024-25. Driven by smartphone use — over 800 million users,15 billion UPI transactions monthly. Gig workers now more than 2% of India's workforce. Projections say non-agricultural gigs could hit 6.7% by 2029-30,adding around ₹2.35 lakh crore to GDP .
But troubling stats on gig workers too . About 40% earn under ₹15,000 monthly. Many struggle with limited Algorithms on platforms control work allocation,performance reviews,wages. Raises concerns about biases and burnout.
And fear of job loss from AI,machine learning advances makes these workers more vulnerable. Survey stresses need for ongoing support,policy tweaks to tackle these issues . Can economic growth benefits reach all workers evenly…?
