ILO adopts first global labour standard for gig workers, riders
The ILO has adopted the world’s first binding labour standard for digital platform workers, covering gig economy jobs from food delivery to ride-hailing
- The ILO has adopted the first binding global labour standard for digital platform workers.
- The convention covers all digital labour platforms and workers in both formal and informal economies.
- Protections include minimum wage requirements, healthcare, sick leave and social security contributions.
- ILO members approved the convention by 406 votes to eight, with 36 abstentions.
- The World Bank estimated in 2023 that app-based gig workers worldwide could number up to 435 million.
The International Labour Organization has adopted the world’s first binding agreement setting employment standards for digital platform workers, marking a major step in global efforts to regulate the gig economy.
The Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention was approved on Friday at the 114th annual International Labour Conference in Geneva. It is designed to extend labour protections to hundreds of millions of people who work through digital platforms, including food delivery riders and app-based taxi drivers.
The agreement seeks to address one of the biggest gaps in modern labour markets: workers who are managed through digital platforms but are often classified as independent contractors rather than employees. That classification has frequently kept them outside standard employment protections.
Under the convention, protections cover minimum wage requirements and welfare obligations, including healthcare, sick leave and social security contributions.
The text applies to all digital labour platforms and all digital platform workers, whether they operate in the formal or informal economy.
ILO members voted overwhelmingly in favour of the convention, with 406 supporting it, eight voting against and 36 abstaining. The ILO brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to promote international labour rights.
The World Bank estimated in 2023 that the global number of app-based gig workers could be as high as 435 million.
Amanda Brown, vice-chair of the ILO Workers’ Group, said the agreement was a landmark for platform workers and came after years of documented abuse and exploitation.
“For the first time in the history of international law, the women and men who move our cities, who clean and care in our homes … will be named, recognised and protected by a binding international standard,” Brown told delegates.
Employers also welcomed the framework’s flexibility.
Roberto Suarez Santos, secretary-general of the International Organisation of Employers, said the agreement respected national legal systems and allowed each country to determine employment status according to its own laws and criteria.
Although the ILO does not have direct enforcement power, member states can file formal complaints that may lead to investigations and increase pressure on governments.
Once a country ratifies an ILO convention and incorporates it into domestic law, individual workers may also be able to seek legal action against gig economy platforms for direct redress.
