The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has adopted Convention No. 193, the first international labour standard specifically aimed at ensuring decent work in the rapidly expanding platform economy.

The Convention establishes protections for digital platform workers covering remuneration, social security, occupational safety and health, employment status, data protection and access to dispute-resolution mechanisms.

Speaking on the ILO Future of Work Podcast, Chief of the Inclusive Labour Markets, Wages and Working Conditions Branch at the ILO, Patrick Belser, said the new standard was designed to ensure workers benefit from the growth of digital platforms without weakening labour protections.

The Convention covers both location-based workers, including those involved in food delivery and passenger transportation, and web-based workers such as freelancers and people performing microtasks online.

Belser said the global platform workforce could range from 150 million to 400 million workers. However, the actual figure remains uncertain because many workers are classified as independent contractors and are therefore difficult to capture in conventional employment statistics.

He said the ILO plans to work with member states to improve data collection on the size and nature of platform work.

A key feature of Convention No. 193 is how it treats automated systems used by digital platforms to manage workers.

Under the standard, platforms are expected to inform workers when they use automated systems and, in specified circumstances, explain important decisions. When workers are deactivated, the Convention requires human involvement in reviewing those decisions.

Belser said the approach aimed to regulate technology’s effect on working conditions rather than restrict the technology itself.

The Convention also does not impose a single employment status on platform workers. Instead, worker classification is expected to be determined largely by the facts of the work, allowing some workers to be recognised as employees and others as independent contractors or self-employed.

Belser said the flexibility was intended to protect workers while allowing room for entrepreneurship, innovation and the continued growth of the platform economy.

The ILO’s tripartite system, involving governments, employers and workers, negotiated the standard.

Its effectiveness will now depend on ratification and implementation by member states. Countries are expected to submit the Convention to their competent national authorities and assess whether existing laws need to change.

The ILO said it would prioritise promoting and implementing the Convention, providing technical assistance to governments, employers’ organisations and workers’ organisations.

Belser said the organisation had already received significant interest from governments seeking guidance on regulating the emerging platform economy.