ESIC Creates Unorganised, Gig and Platform Workers Division

ESIC’s office order dated 4 November 2026 creates an Unorganised, Gig and Platform Workers Division at Headquarters. The division will support policy, schemes, data and coordination under the Social Security Code framework.

Document and dates

Who should review this update?

Aggregators, platforms and organisations monitoring social-security arrangements for unorganised, gig or platform workers should track the division’s subsequent scheme-related activity. Payroll obligations must be identified from the applicable operative scheme or notification.

What the document says

• The order refers to sections 45(1), 109 and 114 of the Code on Social Security, 2020.
• The division’s remit includes policy support, implementation coordination, data and MIS, benefits-related matters and institutional preparedness.
• Implementation functions concern schemes entrusted to ESIC under the applicable provisions and notified schemes.
• The order does not announce a new payroll contribution rate or automatic universal ESI coverage.

Practical employer steps

Use the following review steps to apply the document to the establishment and the relevant period.

1. Assign responsibility for monitoring subsequent ESIC and government scheme notifications affecting the organisation’s worker categories.
2. Keep worker-category and engagement records sufficiently organised to support an applicability assessment when an operative scheme requires one.
3. Separate this administrative development from instructions that actually change coverage, contribution or filing requirements.
4. When a later instrument is issued, record its legal scope, effective date and employer action before changing payroll or platform processes.

Frequently asked questions

Does the office order itself enrol every gig worker in ESI?

No such universal enrolment direction is stated in this order. Scheme-specific provisions and notifications remain relevant.

Does it specify a new contribution percentage?

No new payroll contribution percentage is specified in the reviewed office order.

Why is this relevant to employers and platforms?

It creates a dedicated institutional unit for the policy and operational work that may support later schemes and coordination.

Source and related guidance

Read the original government document (third-party mirror) (Sankhla-hosted PDF).

The linked file reproduces the original government document; its hosting website is an independent document mirror.

• Social Security Code: employer overview
• ESIC compliance: employer guide

Related compliance references

• Code on Social Security, 2020
• National Social Security Board for Unorganised and Gig Workers
• Labour law library