Platform economy database
Database of initiatives and court cases in the EU
Eurofound’s platform economy database provides information on 386 initiatives and court cases that exist or have been implemented in relation to activities in the platform economy. The database was last updated in February 2024 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 386 entries and was last updated in February 2024.
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Italy
On 20 June 2023 the Court of Palermo in southern Italy formalised a ruling which requires the Spanish multinational, Glovo, to disclose and explain the AI logic and mechanism used to assign deliveries to riders. Glovo, which is owned by the German company Delivery Hero, has had its claim that such information could not be made public due to trade secrecy rules rejected, and as a result must reveal both the logic behind algorithmic decision-making tool Jarvis, and the selection mechanisms itself, including all the criteria used. The purpose of Glovo demonstrating how it allocates work to riders is to ensure there is no discrimination in the assignment of shifts and orders.
The trade unions Filcams, Nidil and Filt Cgil issued a statement after the ruling stating this is a fundamental victory which marks an important milestone. The statement outlines that 'only the full knowledge of automated systems and IT platforms allows you to fully understand and counter the logic of precariousness of work that compresses the rights of riders by relegating them to a sort of digital piecework', adding that 'only true negotiation of the algorithm, of the new technologies applied to work, allows stable, transparent and dignified forms of employment'.
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.
