IIM-K hosts India Labour Conference

The Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) hosted the third edition of the India Labour Conference, with special focus on ‘Gig workers in growing India’.

The event brought together researchers, policymakers, trade union leaders, non-profit organisations, and industry experts to discuss how to ensure work remains fair and sustainable in an increasingly digital economy.

Addressing the “invisible” workforce in his inaugural address, Debashis Chatterjee, Director of IIM-K, emphasised the need to make the “invisible visible,” referring to the millions of gig workers who power the modern economy but often remain on the margins of mainstream conversation. He noted that while gig workers represent around 4% of India’s workforce, 40% of them earn less than ₹15,000 per month. Mr. Chatterjee called for a shift from an “algorithmic orientation” towards a social contract rooted in altruism and human dignity.

Manoranjan Dhal, head of the Centre for Employment Relations and Labour Studies (CERLS), highlighted a stark paradox: while the gig economy offers flexibility, many workers experience “dehumanisation” and feel trapped by faceless apps that track every minute but cannot respond to a human plea. Despite these challenges, the economic impact is significant, with projections suggesting non-agricultural gig work could contribute ₹2.35 lakh crore to India’s GDP by 2030.

Vishwas Jain, CXO at Zepto, shared his experiences from the frontlines of e-commerce, explaining how the gig model provides the flexibility needed to manage India’s unpredictable demand spikes and geographical challenges. He noted that innovations like partnering with local Kirana stores have become essential for last-mile delivery.

Ernesto Noronha, professor of Organisational Behaviour at the IIM-Ahmedabad, shifted the focus to crowdwork, a global platform for English-language digital tasks, describing it as a “new international putting-out system.” He highlighted that India provides one-quarter of the platform labour force.