This statement was delivered by Human Rights Watch at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) during a panel discussion on the realization of the rights to work and to social security in the informal economy held on March 7, 2025.
A growing concern for the realization of the rights to work and social security is the rise of platform work, also known as “gig work,” where workers perform jobs for digital labor platforms like Uber or DoorDash. Platform workers are routinely excluded from wage and labor protections, including minimum wage laws, collective bargaining rights, and much of social security.
Human Rights Watch research in the United States, Georgia, Mexico, and the EU shows that without proper regulation, companies misclassify platform workers as independent contractors, shifting business costs and risks onto them while avoiding social security contributions. In Texas, we found that some full-time platform workers earned just 30% of a living wage, leaving them at financial risk. An accident, sudden illness, or wrongful termination pushed them into debt or houselessness – while companies expand their market share and deprive social security systems of critical funding.
Our research further found that companies use a range of technologies and behavioral tactics to manage and control workers, while maintaining the illusion that they work independently. This is not innovation—it is the erosion of labor rights.
We urge governments to:
- Strengthen employment classification laws to prevent misclassification.
- Support an international convention to safeguard platform workers’ rights during the 113th and 114th International Labour Conferences.
Without such reforms, platform work will continue to trap workers in poverty wages and deepen economic inequality.
Thank you.
