San Francisco Frontiers - India's domestic workers go online as instant services boom

Households in India have long relied on an informal army of domestic workers to mop floors, wash dishes and cook meals.

A growing crop of tech startups is now attempting to bring structure to the unregulated sector that employs some 30 million people, while allowing both workers and customers more flexibility.

Platforms such as Snabbit, Pronto and Urban Company function much like ride-hailing apps -- workers receive bookings online, travel to assigned homes and clock in on their phones.

Performance is tracked through ratings, with incentives and penalties generated by algorithms.

At one of Snabbit's training hubs in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru, workers rehearse tasks such as chopping vegetables against the clock.

For Heena Bibi, 34, "doing the same work with a company is good", making around 45,000 rupees ($472) a month -- three times what workers typically earn with up to four customers through traditional arrangements.

"I get three-four jobs on a normal day. If there's any festival... more work comes," said the mother of four.

Domestic work in India has long been associated with low wages and concerns over abuse or exploitation.

But with few barriers to entry, the sector still attracts many workers who migrate from rural areas to cities in search of opportunity, often juggling jobs across several households in a day.

- 60,000 jobs a day -

Not everyone is ready to join the app bandwagon just yet.

For Renu Devi, a 38-year-old helper from Uttar Pradesh, the traditional system feels safer.

"I am scared that I might have to go to a house where I don't know if I will be safe," she said. "At the moment, I know the people who I work for and I can trust them."

Labour advocates question whether app-based work meaningfully improves workers' conditions.

Sanjay Gaba, president of the All India Gig and Platform Workers Union, said the system simply replaces one form of exploitation with another.

"The app system is 100 percent unfair," he told AFP. "They don't have any job security. They don't have benefits like pension because they are not permanent employees."

Aayush Agarwal, founder and chief executive of Snabbit, said flexible hours were key to the platform's popularity among workers.

"Today a mother can send her kid off to school, work at Snabbit for four hours and come back before the kid comes back from school," he told AFP.

"It is an opportunity that these women see in a very positive light."

Snabbit operates across 10 cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, with 20,000 registered workers clocking an average of 60,000 jobs daily.

- No 'fixed schedule' -

Homemaker Atiya Khusro, 63, said she preferred booking helps online.

"With regular helps, there is a fixed schedule and I have to adjust my routine around their availability," she told AFP.

"With instant helps there is no such issue."

The model is becoming increasingly common across India's booming gig economy.

Pronto advertises hourly services ranging from window cleaning to "after-party express clean-ups", while Urban Company offers everything from repairs to salon treatments at the touch of a button.

Before joining the platforms, workers undergo background checks, including police verification.

As part of soft skills training, they are taught how to tie their hair neatly and greet customers.

Every customer rating matters.

"If anybody is less than four (out of five), our training team ensures that we call her and understand what is the problem," said Bhoomika Saigal, Snabbit's director of training and quality.

Industry leaders argue that apps are expanding options rather than replacing traditional work.

Snabbit's Agarwal said his goal was to replicate the shift online that the ride-hailing market has gone through.

"Whether it's a Sunday morning... (or) a festival, you should open the app and be able to see a slot and be able to book," he said.

U.Campbell--SFF