The InternationalLabour Conference, at its 114th Session held in Geneva in June 2026, adopted anew Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy, marking the firstinternational instrument of its kind aimed at regulating working conditions inthe platform economy and safeguarding the fundamental rights of digitalplatform workers.
The adoption of theConvention comes in response to the rapid expansion of the platform economyworldwide and the profound transformations it has brought to labour markets.While digital labour platforms have created new opportunities for employment,income generation, entrepreneurship, and business development, they have alsoraised significant concerns regarding social protection, working conditions,wages, and workers’ rights.
The Convention appliesto all digital labour platforms and all digital platform workers, whetheroperating in the formal or informal economy, while allowing Member States toexclude limited categories under specific circumstances and followingconsultations with workers’ and employers’ representatives and other relevantstakeholders.
The Conventionreaffirms Member States’ obligation to respect, promote, and realize thefundamental principles and rights at work within the platform economy,including freedom of association and collective bargaining, the elimination offorced labour and child labour, non-discrimination in employment andoccupation, and the right to a safe and healthy working environment.
With regard tooccupational safety and health, the Convention requires governments to takemeasures to prevent work-related injuries, occupational diseases, and otherhealth risks associated with platform work. It also grants workers the right torefuse or withdraw from work situations that pose an imminent and seriousdanger to their life or health without fear of retaliation or unjust consequences.
The Convention furtherincludes provisions aimed at protecting workers from violence and harassment inthe world of work, including acts committed online or by third parties such asclients and customers.
On remuneration, theConvention requires that workers receive their earnings in full and on timethrough lawful means of payment, while ensuring access to clear andunderstandable information regarding remuneration and deductions. It alsostipulates that workers in an employment relationship with digital labourplatforms must receive wages that are not lower than the applicable statutoryor negotiated minimum wage, where such minimum wages exist, and must becompensated for work-related expenses and costs.
The Convention alsoemphasizes the importance of ensuring access to social security protection fordigital platform workers on terms no less favourable than those applicable toother workers with the same employment status.
One of the Convention’smost significant innovations concerns the regulation of algorithms, artificialintelligence, and automated decision-making systems used by digital labourplatforms. Platforms are required to inform workers about the use of suchsystems and their impact on working conditions and access to work. Workers mustalso have the right to obtain written explanations of significant automateddecisions that adversely affect them, including account suspensions,deactivations, withheld payments, or termination of employment or engagement.
In addition, theConvention requires meaningful human oversight in the review of importantdecisions generated through automated systems, helping to mitigate the risksassociated with algorithmic management.
To strengthen privacyprotections, Member States are required to establish effective safeguards forworkers’ personal data and ensure that workers have the right to access,correct, and request the deletion of their personal information, subject toapplicable laws.
The Convention alsoprohibits the suspension or deactivation of workers’ accounts, or thetermination of their employment or engagement, on discriminatory or otherwiseunlawful grounds. It further requires platforms to provide clear andunderstandable information regarding the terms and conditions governing workarrangements.
Additional provisionsaddress the protection of migrant workers and refugees engaged in platformwork, as well as access to fair and effective dispute resolution mechanisms andremedies.
Member States are alsorequired to establish mechanisms to ensure compliance with and enforcement ofrelevant laws and regulations, while guaranteeing that digital platform workersreceive protection no less favourable than that enjoyed by other workers withthe same employment status.
The Convention isexpected to serve as a key international reference for governments seeking toregulate the rapidly growing platform economy and to address the emergingchallenges it poses to labour rights, employment regulation, and socialprotection systems around the world.