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Sustaining urban labour markets: Situating migration and domestic work in India's ‘gig’ economy

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  • Ambika Tandon
  • Aayush Rathi

Abstract

The domestic work sector in India has been absorbing an overwhelming proportion of workers who migrate from rural and semi-urban spaces to cities for employment. The supply of workers is driven by multiple unregulated intermediaries, which expose them to multiple modes of exploitation before and after the point of placement. We compare digital platforms, which have recently entered the sector as intermediaries, to traditional placement agencies as pathways to livelihood opportunities in the domestic work sector. We shed light on the placement routes for domestic workers in the platform economy by comparing it with the larger informalised domestic work sector. We also compare the impact of different types of digital platforms and traditional intermediaries on migrant workers and the supply chain of migration. The analysis is based on qualitative inputs provided by domestic workers in two Indian cities – Delhi and Bengaluru as well as inputs from platforms, unions and government agencies. This primary data when situated in the context of traditional modes of intermediation presents the inadequacies of platforms in overcoming the challenges of the institutional ecosystem for migrant domestic workers. We conclude that the histories of intermediaries and work arrangements in domestic work continue to shape the position of migrants in the platform economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Ambika Tandon & Aayush Rathi, 2024. "Sustaining urban labour markets: Situating migration and domestic work in India's ‘gig’ economy," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(4), pages 1245-1261, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:envira:v:56:y:2024:i:4:p:1245-1261
    DOI: 10.1177/0308518X221120822
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Abu Shonchoy & PN Junankar, 2014. "The informal labour market in India: transitory or permanent employment for migrants?," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Jim Stanford, 2017. "The resurgence of gig work: Historical and theoretical perspectives," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 28(3), pages 382-401, September.
    3. Tushar Agrawal, 2014. "Gender and caste-based wage discrimination in India: some recent evidence [Geschlecht und Kaste-ansässige Lohndiskriminierung in Indien: Einige Neue Beweise]," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 47(4), pages 329-340, December.
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