The rise has led to new earning opportunities for a class of workers who would have otherwise struggled to make ends meet, as highlighted in a recent social media post. The number of gig workers in the country rose to 1.20 crore in FY25 from 77 lakh in FY21, a 55 per cent increase, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26. Harsh Gupta Madhusudan, a Mumbai-based professional, shared that his barber from Uttar Pradesh was earning close to Rs 1 lakh per month.
Questioned if he would ever take a government job in place of his current gig, the barber straight up refued, saying he preferred the autonomy that came with his line of work. Madhusudan then quizzed the barber about his home and his life there. However, he could now do a round trip in the same time whilst stopping for lunch and tea. “Was very happy with the development work in the country. Now do the maths.”
The guy charged Rs 2000 to install an AC and does at least 4-5 of them a day.
“Said there is no dearth of opportunity or jobs, just need to work hard. Said he wouldn’t take an entry-level government job even if offered as he likes his work and autonomy. The barber said it used to take him seven to eight hours to travel to Lucknow from his village. Said in the village his family got some scheme benefits but not in the city. Told me TDS is deducted so he proudly files his returns and often gets refunds,” he said. “The jobs created due to gig work, supported by India’s moderate to high state capacity in digital infra, are indeed underappreciated,” said one user while another added: “I got my AC installed yesterday.
