The Future of Social Protection for Online Gig Workers

On 7 November, the OECD launched The Future of Social Protection: What Works for Non-Standard Workers?. The study is relevant in a context in which work patterns increasingly deviates from the model of full-time dependent employee towards self-employment or gig worker pattern. Traditional social protection systems were designed for the former model and is jeopardised by new technologies. Currently, online platforms and sharing economy business have made it easier to offer and find work online. These new spaces have created a mass of non-standard workers who are not protected by the social security system. The publication brings lessons from seven countries –  Australia, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden – where some sort of social protection to non-standard workers is provided and suggests policy options for them.