ILO adopts first global labour standard for platform economy workers

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has adopted a new global labour standard aimed at strengthening protections for workers in the platform economy, covering everything from food delivery and ride-hailing to online freelancing and digital microtasks.

ILO Convention No. 193, adopted following negotiations involving governments, employers and workers, is the first international labour standard specifically dedicated to work organised through digital labour platforms.

Speaking on the ILO’s Future of Work podcast, Patrick Belser, Chief of the Inclusive Labour Markets, Wages and Working Conditions Branch at the ILO, said the Convention seeks to ensure that workers benefit from the growth of the platform economy without stifling innovation.

“The idea is really not to stifle innovation or to reduce the size of the platform economy,” Belser said. “On the contrary, it is to make sure that when the platform economy grows, the workers also benefit in terms of better protection.”

Platform work has expanded rapidly across economies, with the ILO describing it as a growing feature of the global labour market. However, determining the exact size of the workforce remains difficult because workers operate under different employment arrangements and many are not directly employed by platforms.

Estimates cited by the ILO range from 150 million to 400 million platform workers globally. In Europe, estimates point to around 40 million digital platform workers, while China is estimated to have about 85 million.

Belser said better measurement will be an important area of work for the ILO, including developing labour force survey methodologies that can capture how many people work through platforms, how many hours they work and whether platform work is their primary or supplementary source of income.

The Convention covers both location-based platform work, such as food delivery, passenger transport, domestic work and care services, and web-based work carried out remotely, including freelancing and microtasks.

One of the significant elements of the new Convention is its treatment of automated systems used by digital labour platforms.

Belser said the standard does not prohibit platforms from using automated systems or require them to disclose commercial secrets. Instead, it focuses on how technology affects workers and their working conditions.

Under the framework, workers should be informed when automated systems are being used. They should also be able to request explanations when important conditions affecting their work change.

Where a worker's account is suspended or deactivated, the decision should involve human review rather than being determined solely by an automated system.

“It’s not about regulating the technology. It’s about regulating the impact of the technology on working conditions,” Belser said.

The Convention also calls for the responsible use of automated systems, reflecting the ILO's attempt to balance technological innovation with worker protection.

The Convention does not prescribe that all platform workers must be classified as employees. Instead, employment status should primarily be determined by the facts and circumstances of the work.

This approach allows for workers to be classified as employees, independent contractors or self-employed, depending on the nature of their working relationship.

The standard also addresses fundamental principles and rights at work, occupational safety and health, remuneration, social security, data protection and employment classification.

It further provides protections against the suspension or deactivation of workers' accounts when such actions are discriminatory or unlawful.

Workers are also expected to have access to safe, fair and effective dispute resolution mechanisms.

The ILO said the Convention covers workers who are often less visible within traditional labour systems, including people completing digital tasks from their homes.

Amanda Brown, the worker Vice-Chairperson involved in the Convention negotiations, highlighted the range of workers covered by the new standard, from delivery workers and care workers to people who label data used to train artificial intelligence systems.

Belser said the Convention itself gives greater visibility to these workers by formally recognising digital platform workers within an international labour standard.

“This is also very important. It covers those who work in a particular place, like delivering food or transportation, but also all of those who work in front of their computers and who are a very invisible workforce,” he said.

The adoption of Convention No. 193 is only the first step. Its practical impact will depend on how many countries ratify the standard and translate its principles into national laws and regulations.

ILO Member States are now required to bring the Convention before their competent national authorities and determine whether they will ratify it and whether legal changes are required.

Countries that ratify the Convention would implement its provisions through legislation, regulations and consultation with representative employers' and workers' organisations. Collective bargaining and court decisions could also play a role in translating the international standard into national protections.

The ILO also plans to promote the Convention globally and provide technical assistance to governments, employers and workers' organisations seeking to implement its provisions.

Belser said the Convention's principles-based and flexible approach could encourage wider adoption, including by countries that may initially use it as guidance without immediately ratifying it.

As platform work continues to expand, Convention No. 193 marks an attempt to establish a common framework for ensuring that technological innovation does not come at the expense of basic labour protections. Its ultimate test, however, will be how effectively governments and platforms translate the international principles into working conditions on the ground.