Social Security for the Gig Workforce: A Study on Awareness, Accessibility, and Utilization in the Online E-tail Sector

ABSTRACT Urban India's employment dynamics have changed as a consequence of the gig economy's rise, especially in the online e-tail industry. Even though they play a vital role, gig workers are frequently left out of official social security programs. This study examines the knowledge, availability, and use of government social security programs, including e-Shram, PMSYM, ESI, and PMJJBY, among Bangalore City gig workers. The results suggest that there are notable age-related differences in awareness, with workers between the ages of 20 and 40 demonstrating greater knowledge, particularly with the ESI system (Chi-square = 0.000), whereas people above the age of 50 continuously demonstrate reduced awareness. Digital illiteracy (74.7%), a lack of workplace support (only 34.7%), and difficulties with eligibility and language are major obstacles to access. pleasantly, just 23.3% of workers receive benefits, and only 28% of workers are enrolled in any scheme. In order to improve inclusive and long-lasting social protection coverage for gig workers, the study suggests focused interventions like age-specific outreach, digital literacy initiatives, employer responsibility, multilingual materials, and a single digital platform. AI-enabled tools such as Chabot’s, personalised notification, grievance redressal and predictive analytics can highly enhance social security schemes, improving their effectiveness and also overall accessibility. These suggestions seek to close current disparities and promote a more just welfare system for India's unorganized labor sector. Keywords: Gig Economy, AI-Artificial Intelligence, Social Security Schemes, Digital Literacy, E-tail Sector and Informal Workers