Decent work | The GIZ Fairwork project

Delivery services, driving services, IT service providers or call centers, many services are now offered or brokered by digital platforms. All over the world, they have become an established economic force – and employers for many millions of people. This so-called gig economy offers flexible employment models and jobs that do not require formal training – for 70 million people around the world. But the working conditions on digital platforms are often not very good: There is a lack of occupational safety and health, basic rights of employees are undermined, and pay is often poor.

In order to make ends meet, employees in the platform economy often have to work a lot of overtime. For example, drivers of a digital taxi service in Bangalore, India, have to sit behind the wheel for up to 14 hours if they want to earn as much as a seamstress in a factory. When they were unable to drive during the Corona lockdown, they still had to pay the maintenance for the vehicle provided by their employer. Many found themselves in existential distress.

GIZ project Fairwork helps people in many countries

In order to improve the situation of people who work for digital platforms, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) is supporting the Fairwork project on behalf of the German government. Together with scientists, Fairwork evaluates the employment conditions of digital employers in 24 countries and makes the results public in the form of rankings. Companies with poor rankings have to fear for their reputation and are thus under pressure to introduce humane standards. Such rankings now exist for several countries, including India, Nigeria, Peru, Bangladesh and Bosnia.

The project has established five principles for fair working conditions. They include fair pay, fair contracts and also opportunities for co-determination in the company. Fairwork has already achieved success in India. Five of the eleven digital platforms evaluated have committed to creating better working conditions. They now pay their employees a reasonable minimum wage and guarantee continued payment in the event of illness. This is changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of employees.