New Delhi: India’s job market is rapidly evolving, driven by the rapid rise of the gig economy. The latest insights from the jobs platform foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), reveal a 17 per cent year-on-year surge in white-collar gig opportunities—signalling a fundamental shift in talent acquisition strategies. Today, over 6.8 million professionals in India are part of the white-collar gig workforce. Most of them (66 per cent) work through company-led models — across corporates (28 per cent), MNCs (12 per cent), startups (8 per cent), and others (18 per cent). The rest (34 per cent) are placed through consultants, including staffing firms and freelance platforms.
This distribution underscores how the gig economy is no longer confined to niche segments but is now a core part of workforce planning across industries.
“The gig economy has transformed from a niche trend into a core driver of India’s workforce evolution,” said V Suresh, CEO, foundit.
“Our latest report underscores the rising demand for skilled professionals in flexible roles, making continuous upskilling and adaptability more crucial than ever. As organisations increasingly integrate gig talent into their workforce strategies, success will hinge on specialised expertise and the ability to navigate dynamic market shifts.”
Key Insights: Gig Economy Trends
Industry Breakdown:
The gig economy continues to thrive across multiple sectors, with IT Software & Services (32 per cent), Education/Ed-tech (14 per cent), and Recruitment & Staffing (12 per cent) leading gig hiring in March 2025. While IT remains dominant, industries like Advertising & Marketing have seen a decline, reflecting shifting priorities in industry demand.
| Per cent share of jobs | ||
| Top hiring Industries for gig | March’24 | March’25 |
| IT Software & Services | 46 per cent | 32 per cent |
| Advertising & Marketing | 18 per cent | 8 per cent |
| Education/ Ed-tech | 8 per cent | 14 per cent |
| Recruitment & Staffing | 8 per cent | 12 per cent |
| Management Consulting | 3 per cent | 4 per cent |
| BPM/ BPO | 5 per cent | 9 per cent |
| Telecom | 1 per cent | 4 per cent |
| Internet | 2 per cent | 5 per cent |
| Healthcare | 4 per cent | 4 per cent |
Role Analysis:
White-collar roles are increasingly focused on specialised skills. Coders/IT Consultants (30 per cent) continue to dominate, but Data Analysts/Data Scientists have seen significant growth, now accounting for 15 per cent of gig roles. Creative roles such as Content Writers/Copywriters (12 per cent) and Graphic Designers/UI/UX Designers (10%) also remain popular.
| Top 10 gig roles | ||
| March ’24 | March ’25 | |
| Coder/ IT consultant | 30 per cent | 30 per cent |
| Data Analysts and Data Scientists | 8 per cent | 15 per cent |
| Content Writers and Copywriters | 17 per cent | 12 per cent |
| Graphic Designers and UI/UX Designers | 8 per cent | 10 per cent |
| Digital Marketing Experts | 6 per cent | 9 per cent |
| Project Managers | 4 per cent | 7 per cent |
| Sales & BD Managers | 4 per cent | 6 per cent |
| Legal Advisors and Consultants | 1 per cent | 5 per cent |
| Financial Analysts/ Consultants | 4 per cent | 4 per cent |
| Virtual Assistants | 1 per cent | 3 per cent |
Location Focus:
Gig opportunities are concentrated in major cities, with Delhi/NCR (26 per cent), Mumbai (18 per cent), and Bengaluru (12 per cent) leading the way. However, remote work opportunities have grown to 6%, signalling a broader geographic distribution of gig roles.
| Top hiring Locations | per cent share of jobs | |
| March ’24 | March ’25 | |
| Delhi / NCR | 23 per cent | 26 per cent |
| Mumbai | 17 per cent | 18 per cent |
| Bengaluru | 17 per cent | 12 per cent |
| Chennai | 13 per cent | 8 per cent |
| Hyderabad | 13 per cent | 11 per cent |
| Pune | 8 per cent | 8 per cent |
| Kolkata | 6 per cent | 4 per cent |
| Ahmedabad | 5 per cent | 1 per cent |
| Remote | 4 per cent | 6 per cent |
Salary Trends:
The majority of gig roles fall within the 0-3 Lacs (37 per cent) and 3-6 Lacs (41 per cent) salary brackets, indicating a significant portion of entry-level and mid-level positions. However, opportunities in the 6-10 Lacs (16 per cent) and 10-15 Lacs (4per cent) range exist for specialised skills.
| Salary Bracket | per cent share of jobs |
| 0-3 Lacs | 37per cent |
| 3-6 Lacs | 41 per cent |
| 6-10 Lacs | 16 per cent |
| 10-15 Lacs | 4 per cent |
| 15-25 Lacs | 2 per cent |
Additional Insights from March 2025
Industry Growth: Hiring in Manufacturing demonstrated the strongest month-over-month (MoM) growth at 12 per cent, followed by Logistics & Transportation at 9 per cent and Non-profit Organisations and Banking, Financial services, Insurance at 8%.
| Industry | M-o-M growth ( per cent) | Y-o-Y growth ( per cent) |
| Manufacturing | 12 per cent | 78 per cent |
| Logistics & Transportation | 9 per cent | 46 per cent |
| Non-Profit Organisation | 9 per cent | 70 per cent |
| Banking, Financial services, Insurance | 8 per cent | 57 per cent |
| BPO | 7 per cent | 9 per cent |
Function-wise Growth: Hiring for Procurement & Supply Chain roles saw the highest MoM growth at 9 per cent, followed by Sales & Business Development at 6per cent and Senior Management at 5 per cent.
Regional hiring trends: Smaller cities outpace metros
The regional hiring trends based on year-on-year (YoY) growth reveal significant momentum in smaller cities and emerging hubs. Coimbatore (44 per cent) leads the way, followed by Baroda (37 per cent), Pune (38 per cent), and Bangalore (37 per cent), showcasing their growing prominence in workforce demand. Among metros, Mumbai (32 per cent) and Chennai (29 per cent) continue to show strong YoY growth.
Experience Level Trends
Entry-level positions (0-3 years) experienced a MoM growth of 4 per cent, while mid-level roles (7-10 years) saw a growth of 7 per cent, indicating a demand for both fresh talent and experienced professionals in the gig economy.
