Globally, the gig economy in India has grown at a rocketing pace. This has been catalysed during the last couple of months, owing to the pandemic. The latest survey (2020-21) highlights that the Indian gig economy comprises almost 40% of total freelance jobs. The estimated number of freelancers that India holds is approximately 20 million. This alone shows that the growth towards the gig economy is a tectonic shift for India’s workforce. This shows that the gig economy in India is on its way to become a strong part of India’s employment strategy. The size of the gig economy is projected to grow at a CAGR of 17% and is likely to hit a gross volume of $455 billion by 2023, says ASSOCHAM.
It balances the benefits for both, the freelancers as well as the companies looking to outsource their core work or functions. As for the freelancers they enjoy the freedom of following their niche and working independently while for the companies it is cost-efficient as they can hire a temporary workforce as per requirements, manage distributed workforce easily and get high quality work delivered.
As a gig worker today, you are not bound by limited flexible work options. Right from IT, to FMCG, Logistics, BFSI, etc. – an array of sectors are eyeing temporary workers or freelancers for work execution.Think about it, there are so many startup businesses that have built the finest networks which are bridging the gap between freelancers and companies that are looking for outsourcing. Among such names comes Awign, the company that believes in ensuring work completion in India by bridging the gap between unemployment, underemployment & lack of skills.
Let’s dive into how this startup is making headlines in this industry and transforming the gig economy in India.
STARTUP SUCCESS STORY
Every startup business has its own story. The idea of Awign also came to life from an inspiring story. The founding CEO of Awign, Ananya Sarthak, when working into a high-paying job as a management consultant and gaining a firm understanding of clients and market knowledge realized about the biggest challenge that companies face – whether to outsource or not. Even if companies want to make a safe investment into hiring a temporary workforce, they are still considerate of the end result. This was the first phase that set in motion the idea of Awign.
The second thing that triggered action into building the company was when Sarthak interacted with college students and graduates while building a Learning Management System This is the phase when he figured out that there is a large section of students who are looking for ways to learn and earn while continuing their education. Right about now he thought of establishing this platform that would fill the gap between enterprises looking for completion of work and people who are searching for flexible work opportunities.
With the belief that nothing is impossible, Sarthak started building the team with Gurpreet Singh – Co-founder & Chief Revenue Officer, and Praveen Shah – Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer. Here stands the vision of three ex-IITians who wanted to fight the war against unemployment, underemployment & lack of skills in India.
Afterward, the picture became clearer and their rigorous hard work paid off as they successfully raised funds close to INR 1CR towards the end of 2016.
It wasn’t an easy journey. The money was flowing in from our personal savings which were soon over. The hardship was to an extent that Sarthak had to figure out an accommodation without rent for two months, a PG room became the first office but as they say, the fruit of hard work is always sweet, Awign now has touched 400+ cities, completed more than 5 million tasks and offered livelihood opportunities to 8lakh+ people and this continues to grow!
Gurpreet Singh, Co-Founder & CRO, Awign
AWIGN’S BUSINESS MODEL
Awign is a platform that takes up ground-work from enterprises and gets it done through the network of their gig partners.The company offers its services to many industries but its larger focus is on digital core functions like operations management, proctoring, auditing, due diligence, last-mile delivery, new business development, and digital gigs.
The start-up is based on the business model of charging enterprises for the outcomes on the ground and not for manpower. The gig workers do not have to pay for anything at all. They can simply make a profile for free of cost and apply for gigs that suit their time, location, and skills, these are posted regularly on Awign website and app. Here at Awign, we believe in upskilling people by providing them the right tools and a platform through which they learn and earn their livelihood.
Awign stands out in the process of work fulfillment as it takes care of the entire procedure which includes screening, interview, training, and paying the gig workers for their work completion. And similarly, for gig workers the whole procedure is seamless. Hence, for companies using Awign as a platform to outsource and gig partners looking for various work options, it is a win-win situation.
AWIGN: BRINGING WAVES OF CHANGE IN GIG ECONOMY IN INDIA
In a developing country like India, this new sector holds a very promising outcome. There is a large segment of people who are constantly searching for job opportunities but are facing numerous hurdles like finding work in their location, which suits their education and matches their skills. This is where Awign brings a change in the life of workers by providing them the best work options to choose from.
Awign has played a significant role in transforming the gig economy in India. In the last four years alone Awign was able to provide employment opportunities to 8,000,000+ gig workers across 400+ Tier I, II, and III cities in the country.Until now Awign has successfully executed 5 million tasks through our distributed, highly trained, and skilled gig partners. Currently, spread across 9000+ pin codes, our partners execute both on-the-ground as well as digital tasks after receiving work-specific training before starting.
India’s economy was hit hard during the peak months of the pandemic but it was also helpful in wiping out the long-held suspicion over the productivity and dependability of the gig workforce. During this period when people were losing jobs, Awign was successful in enrolling 90,000+ gig partners by building new lines of businesses such as online and offline assessment and proctoring, digital gigs, and last-mile delivery.
Most of the Indian freelancing platforms like Freelancer, GigsIndia or Workhire offer jobs to well-educated and skilled gig workers. But, Awign believes in providing an equal employment opportunity to every section of society by helping them overcome barriers that they often face. This is why there is a large diversity in our gig workforce. In our platform, we not only have college students or graduates/postgraduates but also retired professionals, homemakers, new mothers, and specially-abled people who we proudly call our gig partners.
It is the youth of India that can lead this country to greater heights and Awign stands tall in bringing forth the best opportunities for them.
AWIGN’S VISION
“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.”
The above quote resonates with Awign’s vision of creating 10 million tasks in the next 2 years and increasing its presence in more than 7000 pin codes in order to reach out to people even in the remote areas of the country and increase the density of gig workers in each pincode which would further strengthen the unit economics.
With the rapid evolution in the business needs, we not only aim to produce products that would adapt to it but also to nurture the world of work & make it happier by organizing & fulfilling enterprise work digitally with human aspirations & humanized efforts.
Not just providing job opportunities to the unemployed section of our country but upskilling and leading them in a better direction is what we work for.
WRAP UP
In the gig economy in India, Awign has not only brought waves of changes but it has truly created a positive impact. As of now, Awign is providing thousands of jobs to its network of workers and also addressing one of the biggest problems which exist in this sector, that is, for companies to get the best results after outsourcing. Although there is still a long road ahead of us but with the trust that we have built over the past years with our partners and our team of incredible co-workers we know that Awign will reach new heights. The journey of Awign that began in 2016 has been highlighted in various platforms such as Livemint, YourStory, The Economic Times, Dailyhunt, etc. You can check out on the website here: Awign.com and learn more about it.
If our story inspired you then let us know. And if you are also looking for flexible work options then hurry and download the our app from the Playstore right now! You check out our social media handles here: Twitter Facebook and Instagram
