Published Oct 07, 2026 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 07, 2026 | 8:00 AM
There were no statistically significant differences, after adjustment, between migrant and native workers in monthly earnings.
Synopsis: Migrants in Keralam are more likely than native workers to take up delivery work part-time and spend shorter periods in platform-based jobs, a study by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation has found. Delivery platforms offer migrants an accessible source of income, but low awareness of welfare schemes, inadequate housing, rising work-related costs and health problems leave many without adequate social protection.
Migrants in the 25–35 age group in Keralam were more likely to take up delivery work on a part-time basis and had shorter periods of engagement with platform-based work, a study by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation (GIFT), an autonomous institution under the State government, has found.
The study of 271 delivery workers found that migrants and native workers had broadly similar profiles in terms of education, social background and income. Their employment patterns, however, differed significantly.
Part-time workers were significantly more likely to be migrants. Workers aged 25–35 also had substantially higher odds of being migrants compared with the youngest age group. Longer experience in gig work, meanwhile, was associated with a lower likelihood of being a migrant.
These patterns remained largely unchanged after other worker characteristics were taken into account through binary logistic regression. The study used descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression to examine the relationship between migration and employment patterns in platform-based delivery work.
There were no statistically significant differences, after adjustment, between migrant and native workers in monthly earnings, annual household income, caste, religion or dependence on gig work as their sole source of income.
The South India Interstate Migration Survey 2026 has earlier noted that workers from Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand form a significant part of the workforce drawn to the state’s informal labour market amid an population ageing and widespread demographic transition.
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The study found that delivery platforms offer migrants an accessible route into employment, particularly after they arrive in an unfamiliar urban labour market. Low capital requirements, flexible working hours and relatively easy entry and exit make delivery work an immediate source of income.
The higher share of part-time workers among migrants also points to different ways in which delivery work fits into their livelihoods. Some may use it while looking for more stable jobs, while others may combine it with another occupation or education.
The study argues that platform work therefore serves different purposes for different workers. For migrants, it can act as a temporary source of income during a period of labour market transition rather than a permanent occupational choice.
The findings come as Keralam’s labour market is undergoing population ageing and a wider demographic transition. The South India Interstate Migration Survey 2026 has noted that workers from Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand form a significant part of the workforce drawn to the State’s informal labour market.
The South India Interstate Migration Survey 2026 found that Keralam has a comparatively young migrant workforce, with workers aged 18–24 accounting for a larger share than in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the other two southern destinations covered by the survey.
Keralam recorded the highest shares of migrants who cited low wages at their place of origin, lack of jobs, better employment opportunities, heavy work burdens and long working hours as reasons for migration. West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand were the main States of origin.
The State also had the highest proportion of temporary workers among the three States, at 74.5 percent.
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The survey found that awareness of migrant welfare measures remained particularly low. These included the AAWAZ health insurance scheme, the Apna Ghar housing programme, the Kerala Migrant Workers Welfare Board and the Changathi Literacy Programme.
Housing was another concern. Keralam recorded the lowest Housing Adequacy Index score among the three destination States covered by the survey, despite initiatives such as the Apna Ghar accommodation scheme.
The survey suggests that existing housing initiatives may not be reaching all sections of informally employed migrant workers. It calls for migrant housing policies to cover workers beyond formal and organised employment, including those engaged in daily-wage labour, scrap collection, hospitality and other informal sectors.
The survey was conducted by the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
The GIFT study says social protection, occupational safety measures and grievance redress mechanisms should be extended to migrant workers from the early stages of their engagement with platform work.
Labour policies for gig workers, it argues, should go beyond improving immediate working conditions. They should also provide opportunities for skill development and pathways towards more stable employment, particularly for migrants who may be using delivery work as a stepping stone while navigating the labour market.
The revised State Budget 2026 presented by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan announced that special schemes would be formulated for the welfare and advancement of gig workers and online platform workers.
There is still no word on the Kerala State Platform-Based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Bill, 2024, promised by the LDF government.
Another proposal awaiting action is the inclusion of “Employment in Online Delivery Services” in Part I of the Schedule to the Minimum Wages Act. This would bring online delivery workers under statutory wage protection and enable the government to prescribe minimum wages for them.
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The concerns facing platform workers were documented in a 2024 research report by the Kerala Institute of Labour and Employment (KILE).
According to a Labour Officer cited in the report, the earnings of platform workers have not improved over the years even as the cost of doing the job has risen steadily. Fuel, mobile recharges, house rent and vehicle maintenance have added to their expenses.
The actual monthly income can be considerably lower when vehicle rent, maintenance costs, loan repayments and depreciation are taken into account, the officer said.
The KILE study also points to a significant health burden among platform workers. Forty-two per cent of those surveyed reported recurring health problems after taking up platform work. The proportion was 44 per cent among food delivery workers and 36 per cent among transport workers.
Food delivery workers reported fatigue, stomach ailments, piles, backaches, muscle pain and sleep deprivation. The target-driven and incentive-based nature of platform work was also found to cause anxiety among workers.
The KILE report cites the case of one migrant worker named Karmegham, who moved to Thiruvananthapuram from Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu in 2019.
He initially worked as a cook in local hotels but found it difficult to manage on the low wages. With limited social ties in the city, finding another job was also difficult.
He later learnt about work as a food delivery partner with Swiggy and took it up. Karmegham told the researchers that he was satisfied with the job and had not faced discrimination from customers, restaurants, fellow platform workers or aggregator staff.
He also helped several people from Tamil Nadu join online food delivery platforms. Almost all of them returned within a short period because of the physically demanding nature of the work.
Karmegham continues as a platform worker, the report noted, because he has not been able to find a better source of livelihood.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
