To familiarize everyone with key socioeconomic terms and concepts, we are launching this new social media series.
For this week, our buzzword is “platform workers”.
They refer to people who earn income from work facilitated by digital platforms, such as apps or websites. They often perform short-term, on-demand work paid per task. They are typically characterized as self-employed or independent contractors.
Sources: World Economic Forum; Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Examples of platform work include ride-hailing or food delivery, virtual assistance, and freelance writing or graphic design.
A PIDS study noted that maintaining an active membership in social security schemes and making voluntary regular contributions may be difficult for platform workers due to the nature of their employment. Another PIDS study said that this could result in irregular or nonpayment of social security contributions, leading to large gaps in social protection coverage of platform workers.
Know more about platform work by reading the PIDS studies below:
“Exploring Policies and Initiatives for Online Workers in the Philippines” available at https://pids.gov.ph/publication/discussion-papers/exploring-policies-and-initiatives-for-online-workers-in-the-philippines.
“Online Work in the Philippines: Some Lessons in the Asian Context” available at https://pids.gov.ph/publication/discussion-papers/online-work-in-the-philippines-some-lessons-in-the-asian-context.
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