The International Labour Organization (ILO) has agreed to develop binding global standards for decent work in the gig economy. This decision was made on June 13, 2025, at the International Labour Conference, an annual event that sets international labor standards. While a majority of ILO member states and workers’ delegates supported the move, employer delegates and some government representatives from Switzerland, India, and the United States opposed it.
Lena Simet, senior economic justice researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch, stated: “It’s a major win that the ILO is advancing binding standards for platform work.” She added that global minimum standards could be transformative if they cover all workers and address issues such as low pay, worker misclassification, and algorithmic control.
Current national laws often allow companies to classify platform workers as self-employed or independent contractors. This misclassification leaves them with limited labor protections despite their work meeting employee status criteria. Negotiations held from June 2 to 12 focused on types of standards and definitions of workers and companies involved in platform work. The discussions revealed significant divisions on key elements that will influence the strength of the forthcoming treaty.
A joint statement by 33 organizations—including Human Rights Watch, Privacy International, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Global Social Justice—highlighted essential areas for coverage by these standards.
The definition of digital labor platforms and who qualifies as a platform worker is crucial since a narrow scope could exclude millions of workers. Platform workers often spend a large portion of their earnings on work-related expenses like fuel or phone plans. Those classified as self-employed also bear additional costs such as taxes that employers would otherwise cover.
Many platform workers lack access to social security systems, leaving them unprotected against accidents or unemployment. Companies frequently use opaque algorithmic systems that impact working conditions with little recourse for challenging decisions.
Some negotiators suggested language allowing national laws to override intended protections. Human Rights Watch warned this could undermine efforts to protect workers effectively.
The final round of negotiations will occur at the 2026 International Labour Conference. Topics will include social security, occupational health and safety, violence and harassment prevention, remuneration details, algorithmic management regulations, data privacy issues, and addressing worker misclassification.
Human Rights Watch emphasized that new standards should ensure just conditions for all platform workers regardless of classification while addressing widespread misclassification concerns. Simet noted: “The stakes couldn’t be higher,” urging the ILO to close legal loopholes exploited by companies for profit gains without compromising fair working conditions in the digital economy.
