Can platform work be made more decent?

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (ILO News) — Platform work has become a central issue in global labour policy debates. There is a growing consensus that work facilitated through digital labour platforms is not adequately covered by existing labour frameworks. While the term “platform work” is relatively new and its definition is still under discussions among tripartite constituents, the policy questions it raises are not. Current debates stem from the application of established ILO principles, including freedom of association, collective bargaining, equality of treatment, social protection, occupational safety and health, and employment relationship determination. At the same time, they seek to determine responses to emerging challenges such as algorithmic management, worker classification, and cross-border service provision.

The ILO Caribbean Office published in 2025, a regional study on “Decent work in the platform economy in the Caribbean” to prepare governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations for informed discussion and policy development. The study represents the first structured attempt to document the governance gaps and the characteristics of platform work in the Caribbean. The key findings presented in the report include the absence of specific legal and regulatory frameworks- which is likely to lead informality-, unclear employment status, weak labour protection, and risks of misclassification and income insecurity. The decent work deficits are compounded by the limited integration of platform work into social dialogue and industrial relations systems.

Despite these challenges, the platform economy presents tangible opportunities for the Caribbean. Platform work can expand access to employment, particularly for young people, women with caregiving responsibilities, and workers in remote locations. It can facilitate regional and international market access, aligning with CARICOM integration objectives, and support entrepreneurship and small enterprises development.

The growing recognition among Caribbean constituents of both risks and opportunities creates a favourable moment for policy engagement. Short-term policy interventions should therefore focus on establishing the foundations for governance and social dialogue in the platform economy. A structured tripartite dialogue can clarify how existing labour laws, particularly those related to minimum wage, occupational safety and health, and non-discrimination, apply to platform work in the region. To inform this, immediate efforts are also needed to improve data collection on platform work, strengthen labour inspection and enforcement capacity where platforms operate and expand targeted digital awareness programmes to help workers and enterprises engage more safely and productively in the platform economy.

Long-term policy interventions should also aim to build coherent and sustainable regulatory and institutional frameworks aligned with emerging international labour standards. This includes developing or amending labour legislation to address employment status, fair remuneration, working time, social protection, and collective representation for platform workers, while ensuring adaptability to different platform models. Over time, countries should also integrate platform workers into contributory and non-contributory social protection systems, promote mechanisms for collective voice and social dialogue, and strengthen regional cooperation, particularly through CARICOM, to harmonise approaches, share good practices, and support the platform economy as a pathway to formalisation, decent work, and inclusive growth.

In conclusion, the expansion of the platform economy demands urgent, coordinated policy action by constituents to ensure that new forms of work deliver decent work outcomes.