Gig work is eating into permanent jobs pie in IT sector: Report

A study found that six out of every ten companies are hiring gig workers this year - compared with only two last year

Gig jobs are the new favourites for employers in the IT sector, having grown by 40 per cent so far this year as compared to last year, while permanent jobs have taken the hit - growing by only 5 per cent so far, the Economic Times reported on Wednesday.

CIEL HR Services, which researched over a 100 IT services providers, found that six out of every ten companies are hiring gig workers this year - compared with only two last year.

“The emergence of the gig economy, coupled with the impact of the pandemic, has shed light on this segment of workers who played a vital role in ensuring the delivery of goods and services to the last mile,” Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary at the Ministry of Skills Development and Entrepreneurship, told the publication.

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The publication also reported that leading IT companies, including TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra are already hiring gig workers on a contractual basis, in addition to allowing their employees to take up gig jobs with other firms after seeking their manager’s approval.

“Gig work or crowdsourcing platforms can be well-leveraged within enterprises to get access to talent pool, offer them the right opportunities and enhance their skills. In the current times, a healthy balance between full-time employees and gig workers enables organisations to thrive in good stead and helps in management of talent scarcity and operational efficiency,” Manoj Shikarkhane, chief human resources officer at LTIMindtree, which launched ‘GigSpace’, told the publication.

Also speaking to the publication, Harshvendra Soin, global chief people officer and head of marketing at Tech Mahindra, said, “We are also leveraging the gig workforce - as talent can be found anywhere. New positions are filled based on ‘best-fit’ talent to deliver outcomes without any location constraints.”