Introduction to Living Tariff Tool for South Africa
About the event
WageIndicator and GIZ are joining forces to launch the Living Tariff Tool - a new instrument designed to help self employed gig workers calculate fair pay based on real living costs. The tool is already active and available in India, Pakistan, Kenya, The Netherlands and Indonesia. Join the introduction to the Living Tariff tool for South Africa, which helps to calculate fair wages for platform based self employed workers. The tool is a joint partnership between WageIndicator and GIZ.
15 April 2026 | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM CET
Location: Online/Zoom
Join the event
Join the webinar: Introduction to the Living Tariff tool in South Africa
Programme
11:00 – 11:45 - Introduction to Living Tariff Concept and Tool
- Welcome (by Irina Raiu, WageIndicator Foundation)
- Advocating for fair pay for gig workers (by Maren Bernloehr, GIZ)
- Why Living Tariff? How can it help platform workers and intermediaries in South Africa? (by Karen Rutter, WageIndicator Foundation)
- Q & A from the audience
11:45 – 12.00 Use cases of the Living Tariff Tool
Case from Kenya / India / Indonesia (by Paulien Osse, WageIndicator)
12.00 – 12.20 Using the Living Tariff Tool – South African input
- Importance of having such a tool in South Africa (Ines Meyer and Imaan Mohamed, University of Cape Town)
- Promoting digital skills relevant to the labour market in South Africa (Suraya Adam, Head of Project, DS4J II, South Africa, GIZ)
12.20 – 12.25 What next?
(by Lisema Matsietsi, Sr. Technical Advisor, DS4JII, GIZ)
12.25 – 12.30 Wrap Up
(by Pooja Gianchandani, Advisor on Gig Economy GIZ)
Our speakers
Paulien Osse, Co-founder and Global Lead Living Wages at WageIndicator (Speaker)
Maren Bernlöhr, head of the GIZ Gig Economy Initiative (Speaker)
Irina Raiu, Global Lead Content Communications at WageIndicator (Moderator)
Karen Rutter, Data & Communications Specialist at WageIndicator (Speaker)
Suraya Adams, Head of Project, DS4J II, South Africa, GIZ (Speaker)
Lisema Matsietsi, Sr. Technical Advisor, DS4JII, GIZ (Speaker)
Pooja Gianchandani, Advisor on Gig Economy GIZ (Speaker)
Ines Meyer, University of Cape Town
Imaan Mohamed, University of Cape Town
About the webinar
As the global gig economy has expanded, so has awareness of the economic insecurity faced by self-employed gig workers. From rideshare drivers and delivery couriers to freelance professionals, many earn low and unstable incomes. Often there is no access to social protection, paid leave, or other basic benefits. Many workers struggle to earn enough to meet their essential living costs.
Since 2014, the WageIndicator Foundation has been collecting Cost of Living information, which now spans 186 countries. In parallel, GIZ’s economy work has been working with workers, digital platforms, and policymakers to improve conditions for fair work in the sector.
The Living Tariff Tool gives workers access to up-to-date Cost of Living data and helps them factor in often-overlooked costs such as waiting time, cancellations, or unpaid work. It also connects them to key information on labour laws, paid leave, standard working hours, and other protections. The tool will be hosted in South Africa by GIZ's Digital Skills 4 Jobs II project and disseminated to workers via its partner institutions.
