Due to digital advancement and COVID-19 pandemic, platform work has gained attention globally. Platform work or gig work involves earnings from online marketplaces and digital spaces.
Statistically, the gig economy in the US has increased by 33% in 2020. Likewise, in the UK, over 22% of the workforce is employed in the UK’s gig economy. From 2016-2020, revenue grew from 3 billion to 14 billion euros through platform work. And there are 28 million platform workers in the EU which is expected to rise to 43 million by 2025.
Based on current circumstances and increased online interaction, the EU considers establishing laws and standards for the betterment and protection of the worker, the organization and the platforms across the EU states. The primary and foremost amendments to protect the rights of the workers in the online working space are:
Uniform treatment
EU rules aim to ensure that platform workers receive adequate labor protections, fair wages, and other mandatory benefits such as social security, health insurance, and pension promoting fair treatment and identifying exploitation of the workers.
Legal protection
These EU rules also aim at obscure data privacy and security concerns as platform work involves the exchange of a lot of personal data. It will provide legal clarity for both platform organizations and workers vastly reducing disputes and cultivating a more sustainable environment for the future of the platform work economy.
