Finland opens consultation on platform work legislation implementing EU rules
Platform workers gain stronger protections as Finland launches public consultation on new legislation.
Finland’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has opened a public consultation on a draft Platform Work Act that would transpose the EU Platform Work Directive into national law.
The consultation runs from 8 July to 28 August 2026.
A tripartite working group with representatives from government ministries, employer organisations, trade unions and occupational safety authorities prepared the draft act. The group did not reach a unanimous position.
The proposed act would introduce a legal presumption of an employment relationship for people working through digital labour platforms.
Its purpose is to make it easier to determine whether platform workers are employees or self-employed by shifting the burden of proof from the worker to the platform company.
The proposal also includes measures to increase transparency in algorithmic management, including automated decision-making and monitoring systems.
It would strengthen the protection of platform workers’ personal data and require the impact of automated systems to be considered when safeguarding workers’ health and safety.
Occupational safety and health authorities would be able to impose fines on platform companies and intermediaries that breach the rules. The draft also includes a prohibition on reprisals.
Additional national rules would require platform companies to verify workers’ identities and take reasonable steps to ensure contractual terms are appropriate.
The act is intended to enter into force on 2 December 2026 and would apply to platform work carried out in Finland, regardless of where the digital labour platform is established.
Why does it matter?
Finland’s proposal shows how the EU member states are beginning to turn the Platform Work Directive into national rules. The draft addresses two central issues in the gig economy: employment status and algorithmic management. By shifting the burden of proof to platform companies and increasing transparency around automated decision-making, the proposal could give workers stronger protections while forcing platforms to document how their systems manage work, data and safety.
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