India’s rapidly expanding gig and platform workforce has become a key driver of the country’s digital economy, powered by a young labour pool, rising smartphone penetration and fast-paced urbanisation. For years, this segment operated outside formal labour structures — flexible and in high demand, but largely unprotected. That changed on November 21, 2025, when the government implemented four new Labour Codes — the Code on Wages (2019), the Industrial Relations Code (2020), the Code on Social Security (2020) and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code (2020) — replacing 29 central laws to streamline and modernise labour regulation.
The reform marks a decisive shift in how India frames work in the digital age. By embedding gig and platform workers into the social protection architecture, the Code institutionalises long-pending security for individuals who power delivery networks, ride-sharing services, home-service apps and a wide range of digital marketplaces.
Historically, gig and platform workers were counted as informal labour, excluded from statutes such as the Payment of Wages Act, the Minimum Wages Act, the Employees’ Provident Fund Act and the Employees’ State Insurance Act. The Social Security Code corrects this gap by formally recognising gig workers as those earning outside traditional employer–employee relationships and platform workers as individuals performing tasks through online platforms, with aggregators defined as digital intermediaries connecting service providers with consumers. This legal recognition forms the basis for all further rights and protections.
A dedicated Social Security Fund now serves as the financial backbone of this framework. Aggregators must contribute between 1% and 2% of their annual turnover, capped at 5% of their payouts to workers, with additional support coming from government allocations and CSR contributions. This ensures that the burden of financing does not fall on workers themselves.
With these changes, gig and platform workers gain access to social security benefits that were previously inaccessible or dependent on voluntary schemes. They are now eligible for government-notified programmes such as accident and disability cover, maternity benefits, health protection and other schemes that may be introduced over time. The shift moves workers from an invisible corner of the workforce to a safeguarded position within the labour ecosystem.
Another key feature is portability. Since gig workers often engage with multiple platforms or move frequently between them, benefits will continue uninterrupted as long as their Aadhaar-linked e-Shram registration remains active. This national database also helps governments track workforce trends, design targeted schemes and improve skill mapping.
The Code further lays the foundation for structured grievance redressal, allowing the creation of facilitation centres, helplines and call centres to assist workers who previously had no formal channel for support or dispute resolution.
The Social Security Code marks a turning point for India’s gig economy. A workforce once unprotected and largely unrecognised now gains visibility, legal status and continuity of benefits. With a national database, mandatory aggregator contributions, portable benefits and a framework for future expansion, the reforms aim to build an ecosystem where the flexibility of gig work can coexist with essential worker security.
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