Service Sector Embracing the Gig Economy in India the Fastest

Recent data from Indeed, suggests that the Indian labour market is experiencing a shift towards a gig economy, with an increasing number of workers seeking contractual or freelancing opportunities. With recruiters too rethinking their remote work programs, 7.7% of all companies posting on the Indeed platform in India offer flexible work opportunities. In addition, 2.8% of all job postings on the site from India are for part-time or contractual roles.

The leading sector in terms of job flexibility, as data from Indeed indicates, is the Service sector, with the role of Examiner offering flexible work arrangements in 75.2% of all job postings. Further, data collected by Indeed from January, 2013 onwards till October, 2017 seems to indicate a seasonal trend in contractual hiring in the sector, where jobs of this nature increase towards the close of the year and remain relatively low at other times. It has been observed that the percentage of part-time job opportunities rises from an average 5% to 10% to a yearly high of 20% to 25% between the months of November to February.

Other sectors that constitute the top 10 in terms of job flexibility include Media, Real Estate, Legal, Hospitality, Tech Help, Management, Medicine Allied and Education. A job role that sees a large number of openings, that of Data Entry Clerk, is also seeing part-time opportunities making up 16.9% of all job postings on the site.

Indeed data suggests that out of all jobs posted on the site, the following job profiles correspond to maximum work flexibility across sectors (refer table):

Commenting on the trend, Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India said, “Employees are increasingly willing to sacrifice the additional benefits that come with a permanent job, such as gratuity or health insurance, in exchange for a greater amount of flexibility that allows them a healthy work-life balance, and the opportunity to simultaneously pursue multiple interests. Indeed data demonstrates an increasing demand for flexible work arrangements, especially in larger cities, where a daily commute might be time consuming. Of the leading metros in the country, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore contribute 27.2%, 12.4% and 12.9% respectively to all flexible work opportunities available in India. An interesting finding from Indeed’s research is that 93% of all jobs posted in the Greater Noida region are of a flexible or part-time nature.”

Given increasing employee preference for flexible arrangements, companies are proactively taking measures to ensure a win-win situation for all. Even as they make hiring processes more stringent, they are working to leverage technology to bridge the physical distance remote work might bring. From video conferencing to document sharing platforms, employers are going the extra mile to ensure that all members of the company feel involved and are able to keep track of key organizational operations.