Rising operating costs drive Indian gig workers toward predictable income and EV roles

New Delhi: Rising fuel and vehicle operating costs are making India’s gig workers more selective about the jobs they take, with many opting for roles that offer predictable earnings or lower running costs.

This is prompting employers to expand incentives, EV-linked opportunities and fixed-pay jobs to attract and retain delivery workers, recruitment experts said.

The available talent pool for delivery-based gig roles has contracted by 5-10% over the past four months, said Deepesh Gupta, head of business, general staffing, at Adecco India.

This does not mean workers are becoming unemployed. Instead, they are moving into manufacturing, warehousing, retail and sales jobs that offer more predictable earnings or lower work-related costs, he said. “Gig workers are highly mobile and typically transition across frontline sectors based on overall income potential and job viability,” Gupta said.

Apna.co’s data show that job postings in delivery, driver and logistics roles rose 60% year-on-year in the first quarter of FY27, while vacancies offering lower operating costs or greater income certainty saw much stronger growth. Electric vehicle-related job postings surged 593% year-on-year, warehouse jobs grew 91% and fixed-pay opportunities expanded 205%.

More significantly, these jobs attracted much greater interest from candidates. EV postings received 62.5% more candidates per opening than the overall delivery segment, fixed-pay roles 244% more, and warehouse jobs 350% more, Apna data showed.

“For workers…the distinction between headline earning potential and guaranteed income is becoming increasingly important,” Kartik Narayan, chief executive of jobs marketplace at Apna.co, said.

Petrol prices have risen by around Rs 7.5 a litre since the Iran-US conflict began in February, increasing operating expenses on home delivery services, which delivery partners bear themselves in most cases.

Putting further pressure on such workers, union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari told parliament last month that ethanol blending in petrol can reduce fuel efficiency by 2-6%, depending on the vehicle and its age.

For employers, this is raising the cost of keeping delivery workers on the road.

Employers of gig workers, including Flipkart, Eternal, Swiggy and Uber India, had not responded to ET’s email queries until press time on Saturday.

R P Yadav, chairman of Genius HRtech, said the challenge facing the sector is “not a lack of demand for gig work but sustaining workforce participation by ensuring that earning opportunities remain financially viable in an environment of rising operating expenses.”

He said employers are responding by redesigning compensation, even as hiring costs have increased 15-20% amid competition for workers seeking better take-home earnings.

According to Apna.co, average advertised minimum salaries rose 21.6% year-on-year to Rs 35,191, while maximum salaries increased 34.5% to Rs 59,287.

It also found that 56.2% of EV-tagged vacancies required candidates to already own an EV, bike or cycle, suggesting employers are increasingly recruiting workers who have already shifted to lower-cost mobility options.

Aditya Narayan Mishra, managing director of CIEL HR, noted a growing interest in warehouse operations and fixed-pay last-mile logistics, with employers guaranteeing minimum earnings in select markets and partnering with EV and CNG fleet operators to reduce operating costs.

“The conversation is gradually moving from the availability of gig workers to the sustainability of gig work as a long-term livelihood,” Mishra said.