Page 2 - Gig Economy

Quick-commerce player Zepto builds $1 bn war chest to take on competition

Zepto is raising $450 million in a round led by Calpers at a $7 billion valuation, building a $1 billion war chest as quick commerce competition intensifies in India

Inclined to stay bike taxi ban: K'taka HC seeks clarity on gig workers law

The Karnataka High Court questioned whether the state's new gig workers law applies to bike taxis and adjourned the matter to October 15, asking the government to avoid coercive steps against riders

Urban Company CEO says IPO success is 'Day Zero' for home services giant

Abhiraj Singh Bhal discusses profitability path and ₹8.5 lakh crore market opportunity after blockbuster public debut

Zepto ties up with ClearTax to help delivery executives file ITRs

Quick commerce firm Zepto on Tuesday said it has partnered with ClearTax to offer income tax return filing services for its delivery workforce, enabling refunds worth over Rs 1.5 crore to date. As many as 49 per cent of Zepto's delivery partners opted to file ITRs via ClearTax this year, with a significant share comprising first-time filers using a WhatsApp-based, multilingual interface available round the clock, a company statement said. The initiative helps workers to file returns through a chat-led process on WhatsApp in over seven Indian languages with an AI-powered system pre-filling data, computing taxes, and guiding users through deductions and exemptions before electronic filing and instant confirmation, it added. The programme combines digital and on-ground support, including helpdesks at Zepto dark stores, webinars, and telephonic support by ClearTax experts. "Thousands of gig workers across India are missing out on tax refunds due to limited financial literacy. ClearTax'

Major ecommerce firms complete tax-system overhaul ahead of festival season

Companies update platforms, train sellers on new tax codes

Shift in dependency as 83% of sole-earning women gig workers married: Study

Of the total women surveyed in Delhi NCR region, 16. 3 per cent responded as being sole earners

Mospi to provide data on India's gig and platform economy in PLFS

Move seen significant as existing data fails to capture digital work's nature

Updated industrial classification will help capture new economy data

India's NIC-2025 update to include digital, green, and gig sectors, ensuring accurate economic data, global comparability, and better policy planning

GST 2.0: Food-delivery giants face new ₹500 cr tax bill, margin crunch

Platforms must pay 18% GST on behalf of delivery workers, a move that could squeeze margins and raise consumer costs as growth slows

Flipkart hires 220,000 seasonal workers ahead of festive demand surge

Flipkart is hiring 220,000 seasonal workers to support its operations during the peak festive shopping season, expanding infrastructure and technology across India

Hiring boom likely to bring early festival cheer for gig workers

India's festive season may create up to 200,000 jobs, with quick commerce and logistics driving growth and 26% of gig roles expected to continue post-season

Recharging the old: How retrofitting can help improve green mobility

Unlike new EV purchases, which remain unaffordable for many low-income users and small fleet operators, retrofitting leverages existing assets

Qcom firms fail to meet basic standards, says Delhi-based workers' union

Union audit of 51 qcom warehouses in Delhi finds poor access to toilets, rest areas, safety gear, and management support for gig workers across major platforms

One Act and 3 Bills on, gig workers say there is progress, but not enough

Employer-employee relationship, work hours, wage guarantee, termination from work by platform remain pressing concerns

From aspirational to exhausted: Rethinking India's middle class story

A fragmented, fatigued population can't fuel economic growth the old way

OTP Please: Vandana Vasudevan exposes hard truths of the ecommerce economy

From online marketplaces using data to harm local businesses to the suffering that lies behind the glossy growth story that startups tell, Vandana Vasudevan exposes the hard truth of platform economy

China's blistering heat leaves workers exposed as gig economy booms

According to The Lancet, yearly heat wave-related deaths in China have now nearly doubled compared with 1986 to 2005, with more than 37,000 deaths in 2023 alone

Gig work a challenge for sustained earnings and skill enhancement: Study

The study by the labour ministry-affiliated VV Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI) focused on the current scenario of gig workers and their socio-demographic

Early festival season may trigger fresh wave of gig hiring in FY26

Qcom alone is expected to account for a 60 per cent surge in gig hiring, adding 1.5-2 million roles, said Kartik Narayan, chief executive officer (CEO) of staffing at TeamLease

Bengaluru chokes, gig workers struggle: What the bike taxi ban has triggered | Karnataka bike taxi

One week since Karnataka’s controversial bike taxi ban came into force, Bengaluru is choking under rising traffic, soaring auto fares, and a deepening commuter crisis. Daily riders are stranded, gig w