ILO Launches Digital Platform Work Policy Tracker

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is introducing a global policy tracker to compile legislative initiatives related to digital labor platforms, aiming to guide governments, employers, and workers in addressing the sector’s rapid growth.

The tool seeks to provide timely and coherent policy responses to the opportunities and challenges posed by the expansion of platform work worldwide. “By consolidating reliable information on existing regulations, we can help shape a future of work that is both innovative and decent,” says the organization. 

Digital platforms have opened new markets for businesses and created employment and income opportunities globally, highlights the ILO. At the same time, they are changing how work is organized and performed, raising concerns about access to decent work, adequate earnings, social protection, occupational safety and health, and collective bargaining rights.

Through its database, the tool will highlight how different jurisdictions address key issues in platform work, such as employment status, remuneration, algorithmic transparency, data protection, working time and collective bargaining. The ILO expects the resource to help identify trends and gaps in current approaches, as well as to promote informed discussions about the regulation of digital labor markets.

The tracker forms part of the ILO’s Observatory on AI and Work in the Digital Economy and is intended to serve as a practical resource for policymakers, researchers, employer groups and labor representatives. By consolidating national and regional legislative and policy initiatives, it aims to support evidence-based policy design and foster social dialogue.

The organization says that the tracker is designed not only to improve access to legislative information, but also to facilitate collaboration between governments and social partners in shaping rules that balance innovation with worker protections.