Millions of gig workers in India's e-commerce industry are suffering health consequences from exposure to hazardous air in Indian cities, which struggle with air quality improvement.

As companies increasingly integrate AI and reduce human workforce, there's a growing concern that more jobs will shift towards a 'gig economy' model, potentially leading to widespread exploitation similar to current gig workers.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has reached an agreement for the first time on the rights of gig workers employed on digital platforms.

Telangana has implemented a ban on cash wage payments, mandating digital transfers, and has also introduced new minimum wage protections and increased wages across various skill levels, including for gig workers.

The United Nations labour agency has commenced its final discussions regarding new employment standards specifically for gig workers, aiming to establish global guidelines for the evolving sector.

A Human Rights Watch report reveals that digital labor platforms in Kenya systematically trap gig workers in a cycle of low pay and dangerous conditions.

Panic buying of fuel in Odisha, India, has led to significant disruptions, including gig workers being stranded in queues and approximately 2,000 buses being taken off the roads. The government has stated there is no actual fuel shortage.

A book review highlights the powerlessness experienced by Chinese gig workers, a feeling many forced into precarious employment in Finland can relate to.

China has released new guidelines aimed at ensuring fair pay and providing labor protections for its growing population of gig economy workers.

A coalition is calling for sterner action to ensure proper PERKESO deductions are made for gig workers in Malaysia.

Gig workers are increasingly joining wider labor unrest movements, protesting against precarious working conditions and the challenges posed by often-unseen or 'phantom' management structures.

Gig workers report feeling trapped by the rising cost of gas, which significantly impacts their earnings and ability to work.

Uber and Lyft have introduced measures to help drivers with rising gas prices, but many gig workers report that the relief is not enough to offset the increased cost of making a living.

Malaysia's Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) is prepared to implement the Gig Workers Act and is urging platform providers to integrate their systems for social security contributions.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that the ceiling limit for e-hailing and gig workers will be retained under the Budi95 program.

The Telangana Cabinet has paved the way for new legislation by approving Bills aimed at combating hate speech and regulating the rights and conditions of gig workers.

Uber drivers ranked among the gig workers with the highest per-hour earnings in 2025, according to Gridwise. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Pay for gig work varies significantly across apps, a new Gridwise report found. The report estimated hourly pay rates for ride-hailing, delivery, and other types of gig work. Taskrabbit, Walmart's Spark, and Uber ranked among the highest-paying apps, Gridwise found. The gig economy has grown to include apps from Uber to Instacart. They don't all pay the s...

Millions of American gig workers, including those in delivery and rideshare services, are experiencing financial strain due to gas prices reaching 21-month highs.

• Public anger grows over timing, scale of increase in petrol, diesel rates • Daily-wage earners, gig workers take the brunt • Transport fares surge; vegetable and fruit prices jump within hours •…

Gig workers in Bengaluru are experiencing declining wages and job insecurity, with many facing account terminations and unresolved grievances after participating in strikes in solidarity with a colleague.

Maharashtra's Minister announced the upcoming establishment of a national social security board for gig and platform workers, recognizing their status as workers under a new social security code effective November 2025.

A report investigates whether convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hired a Philippines-based team to scrub his criminal history from the web, prompting an investigation in Manila.

DoorDash reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images DoorDash has a key advantage over Amazon in grocery delivery, CEO Tony Xu said Wednesday. The delivery service offers a wider variety owing to its myriad partnerships with grocers, Xu said. Amazon is ramping up its grocery delivery, creating more competition for DoorDash and Instacart. DoorDash CEO Tony Xu says that his company's grocery offering has a key advantage over Amazon: choice. Amazon is doubling down on grocery delivery, especially perishables like produce and ice cream. The retail and tech giant said last month that it's expanding same- and next-day grocery delivery to more parts of the US this year, adding to the thousands of towns and cities it already serves — news that sent shares of Instacart and DoorDash tumbling at the time. DoorDash, though, has something that shoppers want and that Amazon isn't replicating, Xu said on the company's fourth-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Unlike Amazon, which owns Whole Foods and several of its own food brands, DoorDash works with existing grocery chains. The delivery service has struck deals in recent years. Last year, it expanded its partnership with Kroger and signed new deals with regional chains, including Schnucks in the Midwest. Few customers complete all their grocery shopping at a single chain, Xu said. Many stop at multiple stores each week, especially to find specific fresh groceries, such as produce, meat, and seafood. "Consumers prefer choice," Xu said on the call, adding that he expects there to "continue to be very strong interest in the DoorDash product" as a result. DoorDash is also expanding its services for retailers, such as fulfillment through its DashMarts, convenience store-sized retail spaces designed for picking and delivering orders. Xu said DoorDash is "doing that for every single grocer so that they have the capability to compete against companies like Amazon." DoorDash shares rose as much as 14% in after-market trading on Wednesday, despite disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and guidance for 2026. The company's stock took its biggest one-day hit in November after it unveiled plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on tech improvements. While DoorDash has become known for restaurant deliveries, its gig workers are increasingly making grocery deliveries — many of which make more financial sense for DoorDash. Xu said DoorDash has attracted more big grocery orders from customers, not just small fill-in trips. That matters in the grocery industry, where grocers tend to make more money when customers buy a wider range of goods. "People use us for both the quick runs as well as the stock-up use cases," he said. Ravi Inukonda, DoorDash's CFO, said on the call that DoorDash's retail and grocery business expects to "be unit-economic positive" in the second half of 2026. Have a tip? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

An opinion piece argues that despite GDP growth, Portugal's productivity is likely stagnant or decreasing, impacting its convergence with the EU due to the export of skilled professionals and import of agricultural and gig workers.

An Amsterdam appeal court has ruled that the work platform Temper is legally a temp agency, potentially entitling gig workers who used the platform to back pay.

Instawork is introducing Instacore, a wearable camera system designed to turn human gig workers into robot data collectors by recording their tasks to help train robots.

Telangana's new wage code mandates electronic transfer of wages and extends its coverage to include gig workers, aiming to formalize and regulate their employment.

The Indian government is engaging with fund managers to explore options for establishing a safety net for gig workers, indicating a focus on social security for the informal workforce.

Malaysia's Social Security Organisation (Socso) announced that social security protection for gig workers under the Gig Workers Act 2025 becomes active immediately after their first task acceptance.

A new guideline has been introduced to significantly boost protections for gig workers, addressing concerns about their working conditions and rights.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is reportedly moving to increase its control and oversight over the millions of gig workers in China, a growing and increasingly important segment of the workforce.

This article from UPSC Key discusses the procedure for constitutional amendments, issues related to gig workers, and aspects of import-export policies.

A DoorDash driver for the White House claims a 'no tax on tips' rule allowed her to deduct $11,000, highlighting a tax benefit that may not be equally accessible to all gig workers.

Gig workers for Scale AI, a company partly owned by Meta, have described the desperate conditions under which they are paid to train AI by scraping personal profiles and copyrighted material from the internet, including sensitive content.

Malaysia's Gig Workers Act 2025 has officially come into effect, with the Human Resources Ministry rolling out a new tribunal and council to enforce worker protection. A total of 76 individuals have been appointed to the Gig Workers Tribunal (TPG) and the Gig Workers Council.

The Telangana assembly has referred the proposed Hate Speech and Hate Crimes Bill to a select committee for further review, following objections and calls for amendments from various political parties.

The Delhi Budget includes provisions for gig workers, offering dedicated rest spaces and promising the establishment of a welfare board to support them.

A new report indicates that fees charged by gig economy platforms are increasing at a significantly faster rate than the pay received by gig workers. The report also identifies the top-paying apps in the sector.

Gig workers in Italy have taken to the streets, mobilized by the Cgil union for the first time, demanding proper contracts and rights. Union leaders are urging platforms to negotiate or face continued legal action.

Industry associations have written to the Karnataka government expressing concerns over a lack of clarity regarding the schemes for which a welfare fee for gig workers would be used, and a disconnect between the Karnataka Act and the Centre’s Code on Social Security, 2020.

The Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission has called for legal protection and social security measures for gig workers, highlighting the rapid expansion of platform-based work and the need for targeted interventions to ensure their welfare and sustainability.

Cabinet approves new commission to look into gig workers' welfare, says Zahid  The Star

An Annotated Analysis of the Supreme Court’s Tariff Decision  WSJ

Traffic police in Chennai distributed helmets to women gig workers as part of a safety initiative.

Instacart hired software engineers and data scientists on H-1B visas last year. illustration by Cheng Xin/Getty Images Instacart is growing beyond its traditional grocery delivery business. The company's advertising and retail tech businesses are expanding. Here's what the company paid some of its corporate employees in 2025. Delivery service Instacart is moving further into new areas, such as advertising and retail tech. The company's roughly 600,000 gig workers, who shop and deliver groceries and other retail goods, are its most visible face for many people. But Instacart's business is growing in many directions, CEO Chris Rogers said on a November earnings call. "We have the leading online grocery marketplace, a best-in-class suite of enterprise technologies for retailers, and a growing advertising ecosystem," Rogers said on the call, his first as CEO after assuming the position in August. Instacart needs people to make good on its growth plans. The company had about 170 open roles on its careers website as of early February. "We're hiring selectively, with priority on roles that support our core marketplace, Instacart Enterprise solutions for retailers globally, and our ads and data platform," an Instacart spokesperson told Business Insider. "We regularly review compensation to ensure it's competitive and aligned with market benchmarks, location, and role," the spokesperson said. That hiring can include some employees from outside the US on H-1B work visas. Business Insider analyzed how much money companies from Apple to Walmart are paying for tech jobs and other roles. Explore salary data from America's biggest employers. Business Insider analyzed 157 H-1B visa applications submitted by Instacart and certified by the Department of Labor in the year ending September 30, 2025. These applications provide insight into how much employees in certain roles make. Many of the salaries were for tech roles, including data science, engineering, and product management positions. The Trump administration has initiated changes to the H-1B visa system. In September, Trump imposed a $100,000 fee on new applications. He's also proposed changes to work visa rules that could tilt the already competitive visa lottery in favor of the highest-paid applicants, lawyers told Business Insider. However, these changes were largely initiated after this reporting period. Here's a look at some of the jobs for which Instacart has disclosed salaries in the work visa data. Data Scientist: $125,000 to $210,000 Director of Engineering, Machine Learning: $320,000 to $380,000 Engineering Manager, Software: $220,000 to $290,000 Manager, Machine Learning Engineering: $260,000 to $280,000 Principal Software Engineer: $350,000 to $380,000 Senior Computer Vision/AI Engineer: $180,000 to $290,000 Senior Data Scientist: $170,000 to $265,000 Senior Engagement Manager: $235,000 to $285,000 Senior Engineering Manager: $275,000 to $305,000 Senior Engineering Manager, Software: $275,000 to $305,000 Senior Machine Learning Engineer: $185,000 to $300,000 Senior Machine Learning Engineer: $190,000 to $298,000 Senior Product Manager: $185,000 to $280,000 Senior Software Engineer: $176,000 to $285,000 Software Engineer: $165,000 to $215,000 Staff Software Engineer: $250,000 to $310,000 Have a tip? Contact this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at 808-854-4501. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider

The Italian government has allocated 15 million euros for workers on temporary layoff due to extreme weather events. The measure confirms protection for farmers but excludes gig workers.

Young adults in China are driving a $7.4 billion companionship economy by paying gig workers for emotional support and shared activities to combat social anxiety and loneliness.

The UN labor agency has begun final talks on establishing employment standards for gig workers. Rights groups and trade unions argue that classifying workers as independent contractors allows companies to avoid minimum wage, healthcare, sick leave, and social security obligations.

Gig workers in India are facing extreme exhaustion due to soaring temperatures, as cities across south and south-east Asia become places where informal workers struggle to recover from the heat.

Gig workers in Maharashtra are facing significant challenges due to the ongoing heat wave, expressing concerns that algorithms do not account for their difficult working conditions.

Malaysia's Social Security Organization (PERKESO) has called for prompt adherence to the new Gig Workers Act.

A recent survey of 12 gig workers revealed a wide range of incomes earned in 2025, highlighting the significant financial variability within the gig economy. The findings underscore the diverse economic experiences of individuals in this sector.

Women gig workers in Noida are protesting against their working conditions, citing issues such as a lack of fixed hours, no designated seating areas, and no access to washrooms.

Malaysia is focusing on bridging implementation gaps in its Gig Workers Act to ensure effective enforcement and benefits for gig economy workers.

DoorDash and Uber are expanding the roles of their gig workers to include tasks such as training AI and photographing store shelves, diversifying the types of data collected by these platforms.

Data reveals significant differences in earnings for gig workers across various platforms like Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart, highlighting which jobs pay the most and least.

A commercial LPG shortage in Bengaluru has led to a significant drop in food delivery orders, particularly during peak meal hours, severely impacting restaurants and gig workers who rely on these services.

The Chief Minister of Melaka has announced financial assistance for gig workers in the state, timed to be distributed before the upcoming Raya celebrations.

Gig workers in India have expressed concerns about the potential impact of an LPG shortage on their livelihoods, highlighting the vulnerability of their income to fuel supply disruptions.

A gig workers' alliance has voiced concerns regarding the implementation of a new subscription model, highlighting potential negative impacts on workers.

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to reverse current Biden-era regulations concerning gig workers, signaling a shift in labor policy.

Gig workers are quitting apps like Uber, saying that pay and working conditions have gotten worse. Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images Some gig workers are calling it quits on ride-hailing and delivery apps. They're looking for full-time jobs or other work. Factors from falling earnings to the rise of self-driving cars are leading gig workers to quit. Some gig workers say they're trying to log off apps like Uber and DoorDash for good. The apps have long prom...