SOCIAL SECURITY OF GIG WORKERS: LAW, POLICY AND THE ROAD AHEAD

Gig and platform work is growing faster than the social security systems that were made for ordinary employment. Because of this, millions of Gig Workers do not have pensions, health cover, injury compensation or maternity benefits. This paper asks how law can give Gig Workers social security. It does this by studying statutes, judgments, official reports and recent scholarship up to 24 October 2026. The paper finds three regulatory models. One model is to reclassify Gig Workers as employees, as the United Kingdom and the European Union do. Another model gives mandated protection, as Singapore and California do. The third model uses levy‑funded schemes, as India does. India’s Code on Social Security, 2020, with the laws of Rajasthan, Karnataka and Telangana, gives Gig Workers statutory recognition. However, the central aggregator levy had not started by September 2026. State laws differ on the fee base, rate and definitions. The paper concludes that the best way is a status‑neutral floor of protection. This floor would be paid for by platforms, the state, and Gig Workers. This approach matches the ILO’s new Convention No. 193.