ILO Adopts First Global Convention on Platform Work, Setting Standards for Gig Economy

Delegates at the International Labour Conference in Geneva on Thursday adopted the first global binding labor convention focused specifically on platform, or gig, work, setting international standards on worker classification, pay, social security, safety and algorithmic management.

The treaty, adopted at the 114th session of the conference on June 12, passed by a vote of 406 in favor, 8 against, with 36 abstentions. It marks a major standard-setting step by the International Labour Organization, the U.N. agency that sets labor standards. But it will not automatically apply worldwide: It becomes legally binding only in countries that later ratify it and then implement it through domestic law.

The move is significant because platform work now spans everything from ride-hailing, taxi and food delivery to online data labeling, content moderation and other digital tasks. The World Bank has estimated that as many as 435 million people globally earn income through labor platforms, though estimates vary. The convention applies to platform workers in both the formal and informal economy.

A central issue in platform work has been whether companies can classify workers as independent contractors while still exerting substantial control over how jobs are assigned, paid and evaluated through apps and automated systems. The new convention requires governments to take measures so platform workers are correctly classified, based mainly on how the work is performed and paid.

It also requires timely payment and clear information about pay and deductions. Workers in an employment relationship must receive at least the applicable minimum wage, excluding tips, and compensation for work-related expenses in line with national law and practice. The convention says platform workers must have access to social security on terms no less favorable than others with the same employment status, and it addresses occupational safety and health.

Some protections apply regardless of how a worker is classified. Those include freedom of association and collective bargaining, the elimination of forced labor and child labor, non-discrimination, and the right to a safe and healthy working environment.

The convention also breaks new ground on automated and algorithmic management, a defining feature of app-based work. It requires that workers be informed about automated systems used to monitor or evaluate their work or make decisions affecting working conditions or access to work.

Workers must have the right to request a written explanation and a review with appropriate human involvement when significant adverse automated decisions are made, including nonpayment, suspension or deactivation. The text also includes protections for privacy and personal data, and safeguards against discriminatory or otherwise unlawful suspensions, deactivations or terminations.

It includes specific protections for migrant and refugee platform workers, requiring governments to prevent abuses and provide protections during recruitment, engagement and work.

The convention is the product of a multiyear ILO process. The issue was placed on the conference agenda in 2023, followed by negotiation rounds in 2025 and 2026. The text was first approved by the conference’s Standard-Setting Committee on June 11 before final adoption in plenary on June 12.

A nonbinding recommendation was expected to accompany the convention and provide more detailed implementation guidance, but it was not finalized during this session because of a lack of time.

Outside labor and rights groups welcomed the vote. “The adoption of this treaty is a turning point for millions of platform workers who are denied labor protections,” said Lena Simet, senior economic justice adviser at Human Rights Watch.

What happens next will depend on whether ILO member states ratify the convention and translate its standards into national law.