Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 443 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in November 2025 and provides metadata for each entry, such as geographical scope, year, type of initiative, actors involved, sector and companies concerned. Initiatives include legal instruments such as legislative changes or court decisions, as well as voluntary interventions undertaken by different stakeholders to address issues around platform work.
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The database currently contains 443 entries and was last updated in November 2025.
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Austria
From 1 January 2026, freelancers in Austria will gain significant new labour protections, including access to collective bargaining agreements and stricter rules on contract termination. The reform, announced by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, aims to curb the misuse of freelance contracts by employers and establish fairer minimum standards for pay and working conditions. The new provisions apply only to contracts signed on or after 1 January 2026; existing contracts remain unchanged. The reform aims to improve conditions for around 14,000 self-employed workers who operate much like employees but lack key labour protections. The move responds to mounting pressure to tackle precarious work, especially in the fast-growing platform economy, with high-profile cases, such as Lieferando’s decision to replace around 1,000 employees with freelance riders, prompting public outcry and accelerated political action.
The new legislation enables unions to negotiate collective agreements on pay, holidays, working hours, and sick leave for freelancers. So far, freelancers have had no entitlement to minimum wages, paid leave, or protection in case of illness.
For the first time, “employee-like” freelancers will be covered by collective agreements, ensuring access to regulated minimum pay, improved working conditions, and better protection from arbitrary dismissal.
The ministry stated the reform is intended to make the use of freelance contracts—and the avoidance of standard labour protections—less attractive to employers.
Under the new rules, freelancers must receive a four-week notice period, rising to six weeks from the second year of service. A trial period may be included during the first month, allowing either party to end the contract freely. Terminations can only occur on the 15th or last day of each month, and these rights cannot be waived by contract—though more favourable terms are permitted.
Labour Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) hailed the reform as a breakthrough for fair work. Chamber of Labour President Renate Anderl called it “a major step toward fairer working conditions.” SPÖ officials Klaus Seltenheim and Josef Muchitsch welcomed the move, while Markus Petritsch from the trade union vida cautioned that “what matters most is how the reforms are actually implemented.”
The union vida sees this as a vital milestone in improving conditions in precarious sectors like food delivery. However, Petritsch stressed that real progress depends on employers’ readiness to negotiate collective agreements responsibly.
This reform marks a turning point for Austria’s growing freelance workforce, aligning their rights more closely with those of employees. If implemented effectively, it could reduce precarious employment and strengthen social protections across the platform economy. The challenge now lies in ensuring swift and fair collective bargaining—and in holding employers to the spirit, not just the letter, of the new law.
The platform economy is one of those moving targets, which, despite receiving increasing media and policy attention, has proven difficult to regulate. Given the heterogeneity of employment relationships, business models, types of platform work and cross-border issues, this is not surprising.
Technological change is accelerating as the capacity of electronic devices to digitally store, process and communicate information expands. Digitalisation is transforming the EU economy and labour markets: nearly one-third of EU workplaces are categorised as highly digitalised. What are the implications of the digital revolution for employment and work?
The rapid rise of the platform economy has led to a marked transformation of European labour markets, and existing regulatory frameworks and voluntary initiatives have yet to catch up. While platform work offers opportunities for workers and employers and potentially contributes to innovation, economic growth and competitiveness in the EU, it has been criticised from the beginning because of the poor employment and working conditions often experienced by workers.
While 2020 may come to be seen as the year platform work gathered pace and started to go mainstream – thanks in large part to COVID-19 containment measures sparking an increase in food and grocery delivery – 2021 could be the year that regulation of platform work is set in motion.
