Background

The rapid expansion of the digital platform economy has transformed labour markets across India, creating new employment opportunities while simultaneously raising important questions regarding working conditions, earnings, social protection, and labour rights. Digital labour platforms have become a major source of employment in sectors such as ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, domestic and personal services, logistics, and online freelancing. While these platforms have contributed to employment generation and service innovation, there remains limited nationally comparable evidence on the quality of work, the extent of informality, remuneration patterns, and the organisation of working time.
Recognising this important evidence gap, the International Labour Organization (ILO), New Delhi, has commissioned the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, to undertake a comprehensive empirical study on the digital platform economy in India.

The study is being implemented under the title:
“Informality, Remuneration and Working Time in the Digital Platform Economy of India.”

Objectives of the Study

The study seeks to generate rigorous empirical evidence on the nature and quality of employment in India’s digital platform economy. The specific objectives are to:
• Examine the extent and forms of informality among platform workers.
• Measure working time, including paid and unpaid work, waiting time, and algorithmically induced idle time.
• Examine the nature of contractual arrangements between workers and digital platforms.
• Study access to social protection, labour rights, and employment benefits.
• Generate policy recommendations for improving labour standards and social protection within the platform economy.

Research Partners

The study is being undertaken by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Thiruvananthapuram, one of India’s premier institutions for research in development economics and public policy.
The study is funded by the International Labour Organization (ILO), New Delhi, as part of its continuing work on the future of work, labour standards, and decent work in the digital economy.
The research also benefits from consultations with worker organisations, platform workers, labour economists, policymakers, and representatives from digital labour platforms.

Principal Investigator

Prof. Vinoj Abraham
Professor,
Centre for Development Studies (CDS),
Thiruvananthapuram.
https://cds.edu/faculty/prof-vinoj-abraham/

Co-Investigator 1:

Prof. Ravi S. Srivastava
Institute for Human Development (IHD), New Delhi
https://www.ihdindia.org/prof-ravi-srivastava

Co-Investigator 2:

Dr. Balakrushna Padhi
BITS Pilani, Department of Economics and Finance
https://www.bits-pilani.ac.in/pilani/balakrushna-padhi

Methodology

The study adopts a mixed-method research design combining quantitative surveys, time-use measurement, and qualitative enquiry.

Quantitative Survey

A structured Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) survey is being administered among workers engaged on both location-based and web-based digital labour platforms.

Time Use Study

A specially designed mobile application records workers’ time allocation throughout the day. This enables estimation of actual labour supply and effective hourly earnings.

Qualitative Research

The study also includes:
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
• Key Informant Interviews
• Stakeholder Consultations
These provide deeper insights into workers’ lived experiences, platform governance, algorithmic management, and emerging labour issues.

Geographic Coverage

The study covers platform workers across multiple Indian cities representing metropolitan as well as emerging urban labour markets. The survey includes workers engaged in ride-hailing, food delivery, logistics, household services, and online freelancing.
The fieldwork spans major metropolitan centres including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi, together with selected Tier-II cities such as Mysuru, Warangal, and Ranchi, enabling comparison across different regional labour markets.

Digital Platforms Covered

The study includes workers engaged through leading digital labour platforms across several sectors, including:
• Ride-hailing
• Food and grocery delivery
• Hyperlocal logistics
• Household and personal services
• Online freelancing
• Professional digital work
Both location-based and web-based platform workers are included to reflect the diversity of India’s platform economy.

Expected Outputs and Policy Relevance

The findings will contribute to national and international policy discussions on decent work in the platform economy.
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About the International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting social justice, internationally recognised labour rights, decent work, and productive employment. Established in 1919, the ILO brings together governments, employers’ organisations, and workers’ organisations through its unique tripartite structure.