Volume 2 - Issue 3, May - June 2026

India's gig economy, which is currently one of the top three in the world, has drawn a sizable and expanding number of student workers who balance the demands of both earning money and pursuing their academic goals. Through five thematic axes-economic reasons, skill development, platform precarity, gender and social stratification, and policy imperatives-this article explores the relationship between platform-mediated labor and student life. The study makes the case that gig labor, when structurally supported, is a legitimate route to financial independence and the acquisition of transferable skills. It does this by drawing on secondary literature, NITI Aayog forecasts, and reported survey data from 2019–2025. However, in the absence of institutional safeguards, such as portable social protection, equitable algorithmic governance, and partnerships between universities and platforms, student gig workers continue to face serious welfare risks that could jeopardize their long-term labor market positioning and educational outcomes.

Nandhini Suruthi. I, Lenin. S,"Student Workers in India's Gig Economy: A Pathway to Economic Resilience and Skill Development" International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Educational Development, V2(3): Page(426-430) May-June 2026. ISSN: 3107-6513. www.ijamred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.