MOM, ILO call for global standards for digital platform data to better protect workers’ welfare

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) have called for more robust and consistent data on the rapidly expanding digital platform economy, so that better policies can be crafted to protect platform workers’ incomes, job security and well-being.

There is currently no international standardisation of what digital platform work refers to or how it should be measured.

This would benefit an estimated 70,000 Singapore residents who perform platform work, such as delivery and ride-hailing drivers, professional freelancers and consultants.

At the Global Dialogue on Digital Platform Work on Sept 29, more than 150 global stakeholders from over 20 countries such as Vietnam, Morocco, India and Italy gathered at Sheraton Towers Singapore to address how the lack of reliable data is hindering effective policymaking for platform workers.

The global dialogue – a first of its kind in Singapore – aims to advance discussions leading up to the 22nd International Conference of Labour Statisticians in 2028, which will table global standards on measuring digital platform employment.

Permanent Secretary for Manpower Ng Chee Khern said the diverse nature of work activities and business models in the platform economy has made data comparison across countries “difficult and possibly unmeaningful”.

“The urgent policy demand for data emphasises the need to enhance countries’ capacity in producing information in a harmonised and comparable manner,” he said.

ILO’s chief statistician and director of the department of statistics Rafael Diez de Medina, who flew in from Uruguay for the dialogue, spoke about the pressing challenge of blurred boundaries that exist between employment and self-employment.

“Inaccurate definitions could lead to misconceptions and bad regulations, damaging genuine sources of businesses and generations of employment which are here to stay,” he said.

Proper measurement, he added, can help distinguish between those using the digital platform for supplementary income and those building entrepreneurial ventures that contribute to economic growth and job creation.

Singapore is among the first globally to conduct yearly surveys on platform work, having done so since 2016.

Under the Platform Workers Act, which was passed in September 2024, platform workers have been designated as a distinct legal category in between employees and the self-employed. This means they will be eligible for financial compensation if they get injured while working, with the same level of coverage as employees.

In a fireside chat at the dialogue moderated by Straits Times correspondent Tay Hong Yi, panellists discussed challenges on the changing nature of platform work, including ensuring fair wages for gig economy workers.

Asked about the toughest balancing acts in protecting workers’ welfare, Grab’s group managing director Lim Yew Heng said there are no easy answers in managing the difference in demand and supply of workers while ensuring they are earning a certain level of income.

“It’s always a constant struggle. When the economy is not doing well, there are a lot of people coming onto the platform. (When) consumer demand is down, drivers expect a high level of income,” he said.

The National Trades Union Congress’ assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling said there needs to be clarity on what kind of work gig economy workers should be putting in to match their pay expectations.

“As the industry evolves – and business models and incentive structures change – it becomes more important for the unions to be able to negotiate bilaterally with our platform operators to ensure that the baseline of earnings is actually achieved,” she said.

Mr Elvin Tan, regional head of operations and director for the Asia-Pacific region at human resource solutions provider Persol, said that while more locals want to enter the artificial intelligence space, he hopes to see Singapore and Asia develop platforms that can promote their talent to the rest of the world.

Addressing public mistrust

In a separate keynote panel discussion, panellists discussed the importance of official statistics in the digital age.

MOM’s director of manpower research and statistics department Ang Boon Heng, who chaired the panel, said there is a certain public mistrust of official statistics because it comes from the Government.

Deputy director of the statistics and data directorate at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Monica Brezzi highlighted a survey conducted in 30 countries in 2024, which revealed only a third of respondents believe that official statistics are trustworthy, easy to find and understand.

It also showed that openness and use of evidence and accountability are elements that build trust in the Government and public institutions. “We really need to balance innovation with trust, so collaboration is essential,” she said.

Added Dr Mariana Kotzeva, director-general of the European Union’s statistical office Eurostat: “It’s very essential to provide global standards, but it is to provide solutions and to build the shared tools and infrastructures that everybody and everyone can benefit from.”

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