Mumbai: Finance, freedom & flexibility lure Gen Z, millennials to freelancing

Every time someone asks Rutuja Nirdhar’s father about her job, she receives a call. “I’ve sent him my entire value proposition on WhatsApp, but he’s still confused about what I do for a living,” laughs the 25-year-old. She quit her job as a marketing manager in April 2020 and gave herself time to figure things out after not scoring high on the MBA entrance exam. By August 2020, she became a ghostwriter, writing content for various clients, including social media posts and website content.

Today, two years into her transition from a client to a service provider, Rutuja, who lives in a rented 400-square-foot home in Charni Road, can dream of buying a house in South Mumbai within two years. “I make four to five times the salary I earned in my full-time job,” she says.

Finance, freedom, and flexibility are the main reasons fueling the gig worker eco-system in Mumbai. After the first lockdown in 2020, many laid-off workers turned to freelancing, resulting in a 46% increase in India’s percentage of new gig workers, according to a national survey. This trend is reflected in the growing number of freelance platforms connecting gig workers with clients. Startups often find freelancers more affordable than permanent employees, while millennials and Gen Zers prefer the freedom of working anywhere on their preferred projects.

“Youngsters don’t want to work for other people, they want to work with other people,” says Avinash Jha, whose video on how to become a freelance web developer has gained over 150,000 views since last year. Jha receives inquiries from fresh graduates across India who want to take up web design, voice culture, and proofreading as side hustles. “Even before they ask how to land gigs, they ask how much they can make through them,” says Jha. Ankur Warikoo, a popular Gen Z self-help guru, is familiar with the long-term trajectory of gig workers. He says, “First, freelance to build a portfolio and through that, either get hired by one of the brands you worked for or start your own business.”

Tarana Puri’s offline Spanish classes in Andheri are the result of a two-year plan. After losing her full-time job as a Spanish language interpreter in 2020, the 42-year-old started translating birth certificates and police verification certificates and interpreting for online meetings. Today, she also proofreads scripts for Spanish digital series and runs her own online and offline classes. “I like that I get to set my own rules,” says Puri.

However, the gig worker’s life can be challenging with long waits and unstable income. “I had to change my perspective on money,” says Krutika Behrawala from Vile Parle. Previously a journalist, she quit her job in 2019 to explore other opportunities. With a dwindling bank balance and months of unproductive gig-searching, Behrawala had to learn to be excited about the unknown. Eventually, she found fulfilling work as a creative producer for research-based international and domestic travel shows. “You don’t have to be a master of all trades, but you should have skills in a few,” she says, summarizing her experience as a gig worker.