Published on 20th June 2025
Every year, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) brings together representatives from governments, employers, and workers’ organisations from around the world to its headquarters in Switzerland to discuss the pressing issues affecting the world of work. With millions of workers now accessing work through digital labour platforms and growing concerns over the lack of protections such as fair pay, social security, and transparency in algorithmic management, the ILO started a process to establish international standards to ensure decent work in the digital economy.
Complex negotiations were expected. Reflecting the realities of the business environment, the diversity of platform work models and the range of workers’ expectations is challenging. Also, several national and regional regulations are already in place across the world, with court decisions creating regularly new precedents. This raises the risk that a new international standard could become redundant or even contradict existing frameworks.
“This first round of discussions was an important step forward in setting a global standard for the regulation of platform work, and despite the divergence of views amongst employers’ and workers’ representatives, we have to acknowledge the constructive spirit in which the debate was held,” reacts Michael Freytag, Public Affairs Manager at the World Employment Confederation (WEC). “Now, we need to accelerate the negotiations to ensure that we deliver a balanced and forward-looking framework that supports innovation, protects workers, and fosters inclusive labour markets.”
During this first stage of negotiations, the employers’ delegation was particularly focused on securing the foundations for the new regulatory instruments which ultimately resulted in a vote decided on a legally binding Convention, supplemented by a non-binding Recommendation. The direction taken toward a principles-based Convention was welcomed by the Employers’ Group, as it avoids excessive detail and facilitates adaptation to national contexts. Employers also focused on avoiding provisions that could introduce significant uncertainty for businesses—such as those allowing frequent revisions of the regulation.
In the second week of the International Labour Conference and as the negotiations progressed, discussions moved to the substance of the proposed text. Several of these agreed elements, such as definitions and the use of algorithms, are comparable to the language and structure of the EU Platform Work Directive, suggesting a growing convergence in international regulatory thinking. Yet, at the end of two intense weeks, only around 15% of the proposed text had been covered —meaning considerable work remains to be done.
Looking ahead, the International Labour Organization (ILO) will prepare a consolidated report incorporating the updated legal texts. This document will serve as the foundation for the second round of negotiations during the International Labour Conference 2026. As the global voice of the private employment services industry, WEC will continue to engage intensely in the debate, notably through close cooperation with the International Organisation of Employers (IOE).
Platform work was just one of many key topics addressed at the International Labour Conference 2025. The WEC delegation also played an active role in the discussions on innovative approaches to addressing informality and it participated in the annual forum of the Global Coalition for Social Justice. Read more on what we achieved!
