With rapid technological advances and increased online connectivity, business models  have  been  reshaping  and  the  nature  of  work  are  changing.  One  of  the important transformations in the world of work is the use of digital labor platforms (ex. Grab, Gawin.ph, UpWork) which bring customers and providers of goods and services together and provide employment opportunities. As the online platform grown in scale and value, it significantly disrupts the general concept of “normal jobs.”

The question of the employment relationship, in which like many literatures points out as the “grey area” is the most crucial aspect of online platform work and its implication for labor law. While flexibility is the main motivation, compounded with the lack of available jobs, the ambiguous employment status of platform workers creates specific challenges to working  conditions,  that  resulted  to  decent  work  deficits  (i.e.  lack  of  social  security, lesser  representation, lower  pay  due  to  race-to-the-bottom).  At present,  the  country has no existing policy regarding  platform  work  as  it  is not  in  the  realm of  the Labor Code. However, policy makers need to rethink the concept of job or work where it can act  on  several  fronts,  namely, employment regulation,  social  dialogue,  and  social protection among others.

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Title: Reshaping Work: Opportunities and Challenges in Platform Work

Researcher: Miraluna S. Tacadao