The EU’s Proposed Platform Work Directive

On 8 December 2021, the European Commission published its long-awaited draft of a Directive aimed at improving working conditions in the platform (or ‘gig’) economy. In response to the explosive growth of platform-mediated work, not least as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the proposal aims to ensure, first, ‘that people working through platforms have – or can obtain – the correct employment status’; second, ‘to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability in algorithmic management in the platform work context’; and third, ‘to enhance transparency, traceability and awareness of developments in platform work and improve enforcement of […] applicable rules’. In this post, we scrutinise key elements of the proposed Directive against these goals. Our tentative conclusion is positive: while there is some room for improvement during the legislative process, the framework laid down promises to tackle some of the most salient problems arising from platform work. Read more