Plans have been concluded by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to launch a new global policy tracker to provide a comprehensive overview of legislative initiatives concerning digital labour platforms.
Specifically, the growth of digital labour platforms has opened up new markets for businesses and created new jobs and income opportunities globally.
Already, in many countries, governments are taking steps or are engaged in discussions to regulate work on digital platforms.
According to the ILO, the global policy tracker is designed to equip governments, employers, and workers’ representatives with information to facilitate discussions and foster decent work in the platform economy.
It stated that the digital transformation of the workplace, accelerated by the proliferation of platforms, has generated new income-generating opportunities for women, young people, and individuals with disabilities, among others.At the same time, the global organisation said the platform economy is also transforming how work is organised and performed, creating new challenges that affect workers’ access to decent work.
These challenges, it said, include securing adequate incomes, social security, occupational safety and health, and other protections, while ensuring fundamental principles and rights at work.
The global body further said the policy tracker provides comprehensive and up-to-date information on existing regulations worldwide to help shape a future of work that is both innovative and decent.
As a key feature of the ILO Observatory on AI and Work in the Digital Economy, it will serve as a practical resource for governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, policymakers, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the policy developments in this area.
By consolidating information on national and regional legislative and policy initiatives, the ILO said the tracker aims to facilitate social dialogue and evidence-based policymaking.