New EU directive 2024/28311 (the
"Directive"), which aims to regulate the
rapidly expanding digital platform work sector, was published in
the Official Journal of the EU on 11 November 2024. It enters into
force on 1 December 2024 and must be implemented into national law
by 2 December 2026 at the latest.
The Directive starts by acknowledging that digitalisation is
transforming the world of work by increasing productivity and
flexibility, but that it also poses risks to employment and working
conditions. Algorithm-based technologies, particularly automated
monitoring and decision-making systems, have enabled the emergence
of digital labour platforms. If well-regulated, they can offer good
quality jobs. However, without a proper legal framework, they risk
increasing surveillance, power imbalances and the opacity of
decision-making, and compromising the working conditions, health,
equal treatment and privacy of workers on these platforms.
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