Mental health and wellbeing of gig workers in India: Stressors, support systems, and policy directions

Abstract

India's gig economy has expanded rapidly over the past decade, offering millions of workers flexible, low barrier employment through digital platforms in ride hailing, food delivery, e commerce logistics, and freelance services. While this model offers autonomy, quick earnings, and relatively inclusive entry regardless of gender, education, or prior experience, it also exposes workers to job insecurity, income volatility, algorithmic surveillance, long working hours, and social isolation. This paper synthesises secondary literature, government data, and policy documents to examine the mental health and wellbeing of gig workers in India. It traces the rapid rise of the gig workforce from an estimated 2.52 million workers in 2011 to 2012 to a projected 23.5 million by 2029 to 2030, situates Indian evidence within the broader global literature on platform dependence and psychosocial risk, and identifies five interlinked stressors: income unpredictability, algorithmic opacity, social isolation, performance pressure, and the absence of statutory employment protection. The paper evaluates the institutional architecture available to support worker mental health, including the District Mental Health Programme, the Tele MANAS helpline, and NGO led community interventions, against the backdrop of the 84.5 percent treatment gap for mental morbidity reported by India's National Mental Health Survey. It also reviews the regulatory landscape introduced by the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the 2025 to 2026 budget announcement extending e Shram registration and Ayushman Bharat health coverage to platform workers. Drawing on this evidence, the paper proposes an integrated agenda combining organisational interventions by platforms, extension of social security obligations to aggregators, and community anchored awareness campaigns. It concludes that the long term sustainability of India's gig economy depends on treating psychological wellbeing as a core dimension of decent platform work rather than a peripheral concern.