Students are increasingly filling everyday service gaps for busy urban families (AI image used for representational purpose only)
Because they can offer the flexibility that these short-duration tasks require, while gaining an opportunity to earn and build real-world experience alongside their education, what is particularly interesting is that students are becoming an important part of this ecosystem.
Mythri Kumar, Co-founder & CEO, TimBuckDo, said, “The gig economy is gradually moving beyond the traditional categories of food delivery, mobility and home services, and we are seeing the emergence of a much broader ‘task economy’ built around the everyday needs of consumers. MUMBAI: On a Tuesday morning, a working professional may not always have the time to accompany an elderly parent to a hospital appointment, take them to a movie, help with a visit to the bank or simply be there when they need company outside the home. Increasingly, students are stepping into this gap through short-duration, flexible gigs that offer companionship and practical assistance when families cannot be physically present. What may look like a small task on its own is becoming part of a larger, emerging service layer in urban India, one built around the everyday needs that conventional delivery and service platforms do not always address. From event support and errands to research and technology-led assignments, the nature of these gigs is becoming increasingly diverse. We believe the next phase of India’s gig economy will be less about simply finding a job and more about creating an accessible, flexible layer of work that adds a new layer of convenience to everyday life connecting people who need something done with people who have the time and skills to do it.”
For students in Mumbai and other Tier-1 cities, this is rarely framed as pocket money. The report estimates that rent, food and commute together cost students in Tier-1 cities anywhere from Rs 16,500 to over Rs 43,000 a month, against Rs 10,300 to Rs 20,000 in Tier-2 cities. On the employer side, it says some listings draw 10 to 50 times more applicants than there are openings, with telecalling, delivery, social media and event-operations roles filling fastest, while niche technical and senior positions take longer to staff. The safety net Flexibility cuts both ways, and the report is candid about the risks in an informal gig market; it says the platform blocked over 800 scam job postings through the year. What’s next The report cites projections that India’s overall gig workforce could touch 2.4 crore (24 million) by 2030, with the sector expected to increasingly adopt AI-assisted gig matching and faster hiring cycles. In this sense, the emerging task economy is not simply about getting things done; it is about creating an accessible support system around the everyday lives of urban consumers. (The Doers’ Report 2025 is compiled and published by TimBuckDo Innovations Pvt Ltd from its own platform data; the company says the figures are self-reported and has not claimed third-party verification of the numbers.) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
The student supply According to the Doers’ Report 2025, an annual study by student gig platform TimBuckDo based on data from over 4.5 lakh students across metros and Tier-2 cities, gig payouts through the year ranged from about Rs 800 for micro-tasks to Rs 65,000 for high-responsibility roles, with most gigs clustering between Rs 6,000 and Rs 15,000 a month a band the report calls the “survival income” range. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad accounted for the bulk of demand, with the report describing Mumbai specifically as India’s “on-ground ops capital” the city driving physical, on-site gigs such as events, delivery and retail support, as against remote or work-from-home roles, which the platform says made up 32% of gigs against 48% on-ground and 20% flexible-format work. It introduces what it calls a “Gig Survival Index” the ratio of a student’s average monthly gig earnings to their monthly survival cost to gauge how far gig income actually stretches, noting that in some Tier-2 cities it can cover up to 100% of living costs, against 40-70% in the metros. Alongside familiar categories like telecalling, delivery and event support, the report flags a rise in what it calls “smart gigs” AI-assisted research, content and prompt-optimisation tasks, and data-training roles.
Mumbaikars have long grown used to ordering food, groceries and cabs at the tap of a button. What the city has lacked, until recently, is an easy way to outsource the smaller, messier jobs of everyday life: a document that needs dropping off, an event that needs an extra pair of hands for an afternoon, a queue that needs standing in. Industry data suggests students are increasingly the ones filling that gap, turning short-duration gigs into a steady, if modest, income stream. The nature of the work is evolving too. It also describes efforts to make student gig work more secure, including offering subsidised wellness and accident cover through insurance partner CoverSure, helping ensure that a medical emergency does not wipe out months of earnings. A discount tie-up with travel platform EaseMyTrip is also cited as a way to reduce intercity travel costs for students taking up gig work, and events. But the next phase of the gig economy could also be defined by a much broader set of everyday needs from senior companionship and hospital support to pet sitting, home management, personal shopping, festival and puja setup, and even homework and play support for children. As families become increasingly time-poor, student gig workers can help bridge these everyday gaps by offering flexible, short-duration assistance when family members or caregivers are unavailable. Download the TOI App.