Participation of teenagers in the gig sector has gained momentum since the Covid-19
Telecalling and last-mile delivery are among the most preferred gig jobs; the youth population from Bengaluru is most susceptible to the gig economy, shows reports from the past 4 years (2019 to 2022)
The participation of youth in the gig economy has increased 8-fold between 2019 and 2022, according to a research report released by Taskmo, an on-demand gig tech platform. The research highlights the preferences of youth in the age group of 16 to 23 years.
The Taskmo platform offers over 15,000 tasks per day and caters to large enterprises, SMBs, and start-ups, helping them find relevant talent to do the job on a task basis. The platform has over 7,50,000 gig workers registered. As per data, close to 40% of the gig workers on the platform are youth between the age group of 16 to 23.
“As the concept of the gig is finding wide acceptance, there is a surge in participation of youth, who are preferring to take up gig job roles. The career paths of young professionals today would look nothing like that of the 2000s. Gig helps individuals explore their true potential, talent, and preferences. The younger generation is also more open to exploring varied opportunities. It’s good that they do not want to limit themselves to work that comes with boundaries,” said Prashant Janadri, Co-founder of Taskmo.
He also added that back in the day, young people hardly had many choices for employment. While grocers, restaurants, petrol bunks, and eCommerce stores offered jobs that helped pay the bills, there wasn’t much expectation in terms of flexibility and growth. With the onset of the gig economy, enthusiastic and energetic youth could upskill themselves and opt for their preferred jobs.
Teenagers’ participation gains momentum.
An analysis of the data from the platform also showed a drastic difference in the age group of the youth population who are interested in gig jobs. Teenagers between the age group of 16 to 18 have shown a massive 750% growth in terms of willingness to opt for gig jobs. There could be several reasons, such as flexibility of job timings, extra income, the lesser barrier to entry, portfolio development, and a no-string-attached relationship with their jobs that helps them to consider several career options before having to settle down on one.
“The popularity of gig saw an exponential increase during the pandemic. The gig became a necessity, and brands started hiring youth. Between the years 2021 and 2022, youth’s participation in gigs hit a whopping 159% growth. The gig economy provided young professionals an opportunity to indulge in multiple job roles either for passion or extra income. Some are even known to have turned their gig jobs into a career of their own,” said Naveen Ram, Co-founder of Taskmo.