A Historic Milestone for Platform Workers Worldwide: ILO Adopts Convention 193

History was made in Geneva on 12 June 2026 when the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted Convention 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy.

Author

Fiona Dragstra

Director

22 June 2026

Platform work is growing worldwide. The World Bank estimated that the number of platform workers globally was between 154 and 435 million in 2023. Although platform work offers many opportunities, there are also significant concerns regarding the position of large groups of vulnerable workers who perform work via online platforms. Concerns regarding pay, health and safety, and the impact of technology on access to, performance of, and control over work and personal data. Despite a growing effort at national level to govern platform work, agreements on platform work from a global perspective were still lacking.

This was the focus of the two-week negotiations during the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. On 12 June 2026 the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted Convention 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy. A historic moment.

Convention 193: Why It Matters for Workers

The adoption of Convention 193 marks a significant step in the recognition of platform work as work. Millions of people around the world earn their livelihoods through digital labour platforms, from food delivery and ride-hailing services to domestic work and online data annotation that supports the development of artificial intelligence. The convention establishes an international framework aimed at ensuring these workers enjoy fundamental labour rights, including fair pay, health and safety protections, and a voice in collective negotiations.

This moment comes after years of dedication by trade unions, worker organisations, researchers, and civil society groups who have argued that platform workers deserve the same protections as any other worker. But also thanks to the efforts of employers’ organisations, governments and, not least, the International Labour Organisation, which, through numerous studies and publications, laid the foundations for this convention.

The importance of the convention was perhaps best captured by Amanda Brown, negotiating on behalf of the Workers’ Group, who stated:

“ Those who carry our meals through the rain, who clean and care in our homes, who label the data that trains our machines, and who answer the call of an app at every hour of the day and night—these workers are named, recognized, and protected by a binding international standard. Today they cease to be invisible. ”

Amanda Brown, Worker Vice-Chairperson, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Platform Workers: What We Do At WageIndicator

At WageIndicator, we have provided a platform for discussions on platform work through our webinars, blogs, podcasts and research. We have also developed the concept of the Living Tariff, which aims to contribute to a cost-of-living-based pay floor for self-employed workers. Over the past years, WageIndicator has documented working conditions in the platform economy globally, helping to make visible a workforce that is often overlooked in policy debates.

The adoption of an ILO Convention on Platform Work could be a turning point in how platform work is understood and regulated. It formally recognises that work mediated through digital platforms, from delivery and care services to data work powering AI systems, is work and those working through the platforms are workers, and should be treated as such in terms of rights, protections, and representation. It recognises that all workers, regardless of their contractual status, deserve protections.

Why the Real Work Begins Now

While the adoption of Convention 193 is a landmark achievement, the real work begins now. As countries consider ratification and implementation, the challenge will be translating international commitments into meaningful improvements in workers’ everyday lives. It now moves into the next phase: countries will have 12 to 18 months to decide whether to ratify the agreement. If they do, its principles must be translated into national laws and enforcement frameworks, although the exact implementation will vary across jurisdictions.

The coming months and years will be crucial in determining how Convention 193 shapes the future of work in the platform economy. For millions of workers worldwide, it represents a long-awaited recognition that their work matters, their rights matter, and that they are no longer invisible.

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