Pay in the Platform Economy
Talking Pay in the Platform Economy: Why It Counts
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In the platform economy, companies mediate in short gigs rather than jobs and workers are classified as self-employed workers. The costs and risks that usually lie with the employer shift to the individual worker.
These factors result in an imbalance of power between workers and platform companies. That is why we are committed to bringing transparency in data and technology related to pay.
Workers who are paid by the hour or by the job can also use Living Tariff to understand the daily income required to meet their basic needs. It builds on WageIndicator’s method to calculate Living Wages.
Calculate your Living Tariff
Find out how much you should earn per hour to cover your cost of living as a platform worker.
Our Latest Stories About Pay on Platforms
Aug 13, 2026
Working time in the platform economyMany questions arise around working time in the platform economy: what are the current debates, and where do solutions lie?
Jun 5, 2026
Life After Meta: What a New Survey Reveals About the Conditions of Data Workers in KenyaDuring Meta's withdrawal from the country, WageIndicator and the Data Labelers Association conducted a survey examining the working conditions and pay of Kenyan workers in the global AI supply chain. What do the preliminary results tell us, and how are they interpreted by workers' representatives?
Jun 4, 2026
Platform Commission Caps Are Not Enough: Lessons from Indonesia's Ride-Hailing RegulationPresident Prabowo Subianto issued Presidential Regulation No. 27 of 2026, reducing the platform commission rate from 20 to 8 percent. However, the regulation fails to address two key issues: algorithm transparency and the mechanism for setting shared rates.
Listen to Our Podcast
May 20, 2026
What an Australian union teaches us about regulating platform workHow can binding agreements be made with platforms regarding minimum standards for platform workers? In this episode, researcher Alex Veen from the University of Sydney and Jack Boutros from the Transport Workers' Union (TWU) in Australia sh…
May 14, 2026
Market Protection or Disruption? The Impact of a Minimum Rate in the Platform EconomyA minimum rate in the platform economy sounds appealing, but it could significantly disrupt the market. Researchers at Delft University of Technology used computer simulations to predict the effects. The conclusion: a fair wage is possible,…
Apr 7, 2026
Platform Work and Rights: Interview with Lena Simet (Human Rights Watch)The platform economy promises flexibility, but at what cost? In this episode of The Gig Work Podcast, Martijn Arets talks to Lena Simet from Human Rights Watch to unpack the downsides of platform work.
Got questions about the platform economy? Start here
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