Social Security Code: Labour Ministry suggests 90-day cutoff for gig workers, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• The Labour Ministry proposed a 90-day minimum work threshold for gig and platform workers to access social security benefits.
• This proposal is part of the new draft rules under the Social Security Code 2020, published on December 31.
• The four Labour codes were notified on November 21, 2025, and draft rules are open for stakeholder feedback.
• To be eligible, workers must register on the central government's designated portal.

Detailed Insights:

• The draft rules specify that to be eligible for social security, a gig or platform worker must have worked at least 90 days with an aggregator, or 120 days with multiple aggregators, in the last financial year.
• A worker is considered engaged with an aggregator for one day if they earned any income through that aggregator on that day.
• If a worker engages with multiple aggregators on a single day, each engagement counts as a separate day of work.
• Eligible workers include those engaged directly by the aggregator or through associate firms, holding companies, subsidiaries, limited liability partnerships, or third parties.
• Aggregators are required to electronically share details of engaged workers quarterly on the central government's designated portal.
• Failure to update worker details by the aggregator may result in the worker being ineligible for social security benefits.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Gig Worker: A person who performs work or participates in a work arrangement and earns from such activities outside of the traditional employer-employee relationship.
• Platform Worker: A person who accesses organizations or individuals through an online platform and provides services for payment.
• Aggregator: A company or entity that connects gig or platform workers with customers or clients, typically through a digital platform.
• Social Security Code 2020: A legislative framework in India aimed at consolidating and reforming laws related to social security for organized and unorganized sector workers.