Gig Economy Workers vs Traditional Employees in India

India is home to one of the world's largest and fastest-growing gig workforces, with an estimated 77 million platform and informal gig workers as of 2026. Yet the sweeping labour law reforms encapsulated in four new Labour Codes the Code on Wages, the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security, and the Occupational Safety Code remain only partially implemented across most Indian states. The promise of extending social security, minimum wages, and occupational protections to gig and platform workers has been repeatedly deferred. This report examines the legal and economic fault lines between gig workers and traditional employees in India, the consequences of the delayed Labour Code rollout, and the policy steps most urgently needed.