Fairwork India Ratings 2021: Labour Standards in the Platform Economy

This report brings together the Fairwork project’s third annual study of the working conditions of gig workers on digital platforms in India. This year, 11 platforms were evaluated by the Fairwork India team at the Centre for IT and Public Policy (CITAPP), International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIITB), in partnership with the global Fairwork network.

The range in scores highlights the heterogeneity in the organisation and operation of platforms across service-domains. The scores offer platforms a comparative framework to gain insights into the implications of various business models for their workers; for policymakers, it should clarify that not all service-domains and platforms should be regulated identically. Workers are given a view of working conditions across service-domains in the platform economy, and the scores add to the resources available to them when they collectively raise demands. Another purpose of the scores is to increase the awareness and sensitivity of consumers to the working conditions on these platforms. Thus, our hope is that platforms, regulators, workers, and consumers/users, will all use the Fairwork framework and ratings to imagine, and realise, a fairer platform economy in India.

A more accessible version of the report is also available.