Kollam youths launch ‘Bhailog’ app, a job aggregator platform for migrant workers

Kochi: Three youths from Kollam have launched a startup aiming to better the lives of Kerala’s growing migrant population. Bhailog Connect India, co-founded by Asif Ayoob, Ashik Azad, and Gokul Mohan, alumni of TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, has launched the Bhailog app, a first-of-its-kind in the country designed to revolutionise the job market for blue-collar migrant workers.

A job aggregator platform, Bhailog is focused on improving the lives of migrant workers by ensuring they get fair pay and better living conditions. The app lists jobs by collaborating with employers, including contractors, and migrant workers can log into the app and choose the jobs that suit them. Similarly, if a person wants to pick a worker for a job, it can be done through the platform.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the app at a recent event, which was attended by Dr S Karthikeyan IAS, Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister, and Anoop Ambika, CEO of Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).

Founded in 2023, Bhailog is incubated and mentored by KSUM, the state government’s nodal agency for startups. KSUM first pitched the app in the Idea Grant 2023, where Bhailog began to take shape and later secured an undisclosed angel investment.

The idea of a social impact venture struck Asif quite naturally. The engineering graduate with a Master’s in Business Administration from the US has an impressive track record in social work. He was selected for the state government’s Swami Vivekananda Yuva Prathibha Puraskaram after his active involvement in a housing project for the poor and the rescue and rehabilitation works during the 2018 floods.

Asif said he was disturbed by the visuals of the migrant labourers’ suffering during the pandemic and then reports of different kinds of exploitation, including sexual abuse, faced by the migrant workforce.

“With a market size of 440 million migrant workers in India and a vision to empower the global blue-collar workforce through tech-based products, Bhailog addresses the challenges faced by these workers, who, unlike their white-collar and formally educated counterparts, face discrimination, exploitation, and difficulties in finding livelihoods. In Kerala alone, the state was home to an estimated 31.4 lakh migrants in 2017-’18, according to a 2021 report by the State Planning Board titled A Study on In-migration, Informal Employment and Urbanisation in Kerala. Bhailog is set to be a game-changer for both migrant workers and employers, ensuring fair treatment and driving economic growth across India and beyond,” he said.

All users who enrol in the app undergo a credential verification process before applying for jobs, thereby reducing the risk for employers and creating a win-win situation for both employees and employers. He said the app uses advanced algorithms for real-time job updates and a seamless wage payment system.

The app will also feature news updates relevant to migrant labourers in languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, and Assamese.

The services for the employees will be free, and the startup aims to generate revenues from user fees collected from employers and advertisements.

He said the startup was founded based on the feedback they received from a field survey conducted among the labourers. Starting with Kerala, the startup has plans to expand across the country.