The Code on Social Security, 2020 (SS) (one of the four labour codes implemented in a recent labour reform) defines ‘Gig worker’ as a person who performs work or participates in a work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of traditional employer-employee relationship.
In a post on X, Deepinder Goyal, Founder Eternal, the company which owns food delivery platform Zomato and quick commerce platform Blinkit defended the business model.
Goyal shared interesting data points to make his case.
In 2025, average earnings per hour (EPH), excluding tips, for a delivery partner on Zomato were Rs 102. In 2024, this number was Rs 92. That’s a 10.9 percent year-on-year increase. Over a longer horizon also, EPH has shown steady growth, he pointed out.
Most delivery partners work for a few hours and only a few days in a month. But if someone were to work for 10 hours/day, 26 days/month, this translates to Rs. 26,500/month in gross earnings. After accounting for fuel and maintenance (20%), the net earnings for the partner are Rs 21,000/month, he claimed, while noting that earnings per hour are calculated on total hours logged in, including the time when the partner might be waiting to receive an order.
Delivery partners earn 100% of tips given by customers. The average tip per hour in 2025 on Zomato was Rs 2.6 and in 2024 was Rs 2.4 per hour. Tips are transferred instantly, with zero deductions. We absorb the payment gateway processing cost ourselves. About 5% of the orders get tipped on Zomato; 2.5% on Blinkit, Goyal said.
In 2025, the average delivery partner on Zomato worked 38 days in the year and 7 hours per working day, reflecting true gig style participation rather than fixed schedules. Only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250 days in the year. Demanding full-time employee benefits like Provident Fund or guaranteed salaries for gig roles doesn’t align with what the model is built for, he argued
“Flexibility isn’t incidental to the gig model, it is the whole point,” Goyal said.
He also dismissed the argument that quick commerce’s 10-minute delivery promise puts pressure on gig workers. “It doesn’t lead to unsafe driving”.
10 mins or faster deliveries are primarily due to our stores being closer to customers and not by higher speeds on the road, Goyal said.
In 2025, Zomato and Blinkit spent over ₹100 crore on insurance coverage for delivery partners. These premiums are borne entirely by us, and the benefits are administered with record speed without any fuss, he said while listing out other forms of support extended.
Goyal found support from Amitabh Kant, former Chief Executive Officer, Niti Aayog and others.
“India’s gig & quick-commerce economy is consumer-led. Gig jobs are set to grow from 7.7 million to 23.5 million by 2030 — among India’s largest job-creation engines. Calling this “exploitation” by folks who have not created a single job is political, not factual, Kant said in a post on X.
Politicising the gig economy will kill quick commerce, destroy jobs & push workers back into the informal sector. Let markets work, strengthen safety nets — don’t sabotage innovation for political ends, he said.
Goyal’s remarks were also criticised. Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union pointed out after fuel and maintenance a delivery partner gets Rs 21,000 a month for 260 hours of work, which translates into Rs 81 per hour net, with no security, no paid leave.
