Are Labor Regimes Keeping up With the Gig Economy?

The world of work is changing rapidly and the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating it. Less than two decades ago, hailing a cab meant standing on the side of the street and waving one down. Food delivery was limited to restaurants that could afford delivery personnel, and business process outsourcing conjured images of young professionals in call centers busily tending to ringing phones. Today, consumers in search of these services conveniently connect to service providers through digitally mediated platforms.

The rise of the platform economy and the associated ecosystem of digital work are upending the way people live and work. The pace of this transformation exceeds the capacity of regulatory institutions to keep up.

Cenfri and the JustJobs Network with support from the Emerging Markets Sustainability Dialogues program (EMSD) at the German Development Corporation (GIZ) are launching a study that sheds light on employment, working conditions and labor and policy regimes for platform workers with the help of case studies in Africa and Asia.

Join the experts to discuss the findings on policy options for regulating platform work.