Racing against a stopwatch, a group of women fold sheets as they train to join an Indian startup offering instant home services, transforming a traditionally word-of-mouth sector and promising better wages.
Families in India have long relied on an informal army of domestic workers to clean floors, wash dishes and cook meals.
A growing number of tech startups are now trying to bring structure to the unregulated sector that employs about 30 million people, allowing workers and customers more flexibility.
Platforms like Snabbit, Pronto and Urban Company work much like ride-hailing apps – workers take bookings online, travel to designated homes and check out on their phones.
Performance is tracked through ratings, with incentives and penalties generated by algorithms.
At one of Snabb’s training centers in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru, workers try out tasks such as chopping vegetables around the clock.
For Heena Bibi, 34, “doing the same job with a company is good,” earning about 45,000 rupees ($472) a month — three times what workers typically earn with up to four clients through traditional arrangements.
“I get three-four jobs on a normal day. If there is any festival… more work comes,” said the mother of four.
Domestic work in India has long been associated with low wages and concerns about 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 opportunities, often juggling work for several families in a day.
– 60,000 jobs per day –
Not everyone is ready to join the app pool yet.
For Renu Devi, a 38-year-old helper from Uttar Pradesh, the traditional system feels safer.
“I’m afraid I might have to go to a house where I don’t know if I’ll be safe,” she said. “At the moment, I know the people I work for and I can trust them.”
Labor advocates question whether app-based work meaningfully improves workers’ conditions.
Sanjay Gaba, president of the All India Concert and Platform Workers Union, said the system simply replaces one form of exploitation with another.
“The application system is 100 percent unfair,” he told AFP. “They have no job security. They have no pension benefits because they are not permanent employees.”
Aayush Agarwal, founder and chief executive of Snabb, said flexible hours were key to the platform’s popularity among workers.
“Today a mother can send her child to school, work at Snabbit for four hours and come back before the child comes home from school,” he told AFP.
“It’s an opportunity that these women see in a very positive light.”
Snabbit operates in 10 cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, with 20,000 registered workers averaging 60,000 jobs per day.
– There is no “fixed schedule” –
Homeowner Atiya Khusro, 63, said she preferred the help of online booking.
“With regular help, there is a fixed schedule and I have to adjust my routine around their availability,” she told AFP.
“With immediate help there is no such problem.”
The model is becoming increasingly common across India’s booming gig economy.
Pronto advertises hourly services ranging from window cleaning to “quick post-party cleaning”, 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 clearance.
As part of soft skills training, they are taught how to properly tie their hair and greet customers.
Every customer rating matters.
“If someone is less than a four (out of five), our training team makes sure we call them in and figure out what the problem is,” said Bhoomika Saigal, Snabb’s director of training and quality.
Industry leaders argue that apps are expanding options rather than replacing traditional work.
Snabb’s Agarwal said his goal was to replicate the online shift the travel market has undergone.
“Whether it’s a Sunday morning … (or) a festival, you need to open the app and be able to see a seat and be able to book,” he said.
