Labour leaders worldwide are calling for stronger regulation of the rapidly expanding platform economy ahead of crucial deliberations at the International Labour Organization’s International Labour Conference (ILC).
The platform economy – which includes ride-hailing services, delivery platforms, and domestic work applications – is transforming labour markets globally. However, many workers operating within the sector remain without basic labourprotections.
A major concern is the classification of platform workers as independent contractors rather than employees, which excludes them from social protection, labour rights, and collective bargaining.
“Ultimately, what comes out in regulation is a reflection of the balance of power between competing forces,” said Ms. Ruth Castel-Branco, Senior Researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS).
Ms. Pat Horn, Senior Programme Adviser at Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), criticisedregulators for excluding platform workers from labourprotections.
“The main problem, as you have been hearing from all the interventions, is this habit of regulators to exclude platform workers from being considered as workers,” she said.
Worker representatives also shared experiences from different sectors, highlighting the growing influence of algorithmic management and the lack of welfare benefits within the platform economy.
Ms. Tannaree Jaruprasit, President of the Southern Riders Association of Thailand, said platform companies often portray riders as independent contractors while exercising strict digital control over their work.
“The platform company can say you are an independent contractor and free to choose your job and time, but in reality we are controlled harshly by the algorithm and lack all the basic welfare or benefits,” she said.
Participants also highlighted gender-specific risks within the platform economy.
Ms. Fish Ip, Regional Coordinator for Asia at the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), warned that domestic workers operating through digital platforms face heightened risks of harassment.
“Platform domestic workers are majority women, and that gives the risk of sexual harassment because we go to private households,” she said.
The issue of data ownership was also raised during the discussions.
Ms. Taylor Cass Talbott, Advocacy Coordinator at the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP), said digital data generated through platform work is increasingly becoming economically valuable.
“Data itself is becoming a form of capital,” Talbott said.
The upcoming negotiations at the International LabourConference are expected to play a crucial role in shaping how governments regulate platform companies and protect workers’ rights across the globe.
