Indian workers turn to Gulf for delivery jobs with better pay

While India’s gig economy is thriving with 7.7 million workers (2020), gig workers from the country’s small towns like Karimnagar are looking for greener pastures abroad.

Sameer had worked as a delivery executive with a food aggregator company for three years before landing this job. He took up the gig because he is expected to get better pay. “The more you deliver, the more you earn in Dubai. After the minimum number of deliveries, the executive is promised an additional 7.5 dirham per every new delivery,” he said.

His income will triple when compared to the gigs he had taken up in Hyderabad where he had worked as a delivery executive for `30,000 per month. “Some companies offer even thrice the package which companies in India offer,” said Shaik Shabnam, a District Employment Officer with TOMCOM.

Telangana government facilitated the recruitment drive in Karimnagar as there is a demand for Indian delivery agents in the Gulf. Indian workers are also preferred for their professionalism and their language skills, state government officials said. Prior to the Karimnagar drive, a special recruitment drive was conducted in Hyderabad where 160 registered for jobs and 66 were selected.

“ Certified employment opportunities are a big draw for gig workers who want to earn more than what Indian companies pay,” said Shaik Salauddin of Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Association. Moreover, gig work abroad comes with health and life insurance which Indian companies often do not provide.