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Eurofound publications on platform work

• Online platform work in the European Union: Implications for working conditions and access to information

  This digital story presents headline findings on the working conditions and information needs of online platform workers across key areas: Who platform workers are; Where they operate geographically; Their working conditions and earnings; How algorithmic management impacts their work; Information needs about rights and protecting workers in the digital economy.

  • Date 28 May 2026
  • Type Digital story

  

• Online platform work in the European Union: Implications for working conditions and access to information

  This report analyses the working conditions and information needs of online platform workers based on a survey of 3 830 workers across 15 EU Member States. Unlike existing research focused on on-location platform work, this study examines workers who provide services entirely online. The findings reveal a workforce that is predominantly male, of prime working age and highly educated, primarily delivering skilled professional services rather than microtasks.

  • Date 28 May 2026
  • Type Research report

  

• AI, algorithmic management and the transformation of society, work, and employment – exploring the concepts

  Building on Eurofound’s established conceptual framework of the digital age, this concept paper examines how the unfolding artificial intelligence wave is set to transform not only the world of work and employment, but also the wider fabric of society, from the delivery and quality of public services to the production, dissemination and governance of information. The analysis is guided by four vectors of change – automation, augmentation, digitisation and platformisation – identified as the central drivers shaping this transformation. The concepts presented in this paper will inform Eurofound’s future research on artificial intelligence and algorithmic management.

  • Date 30 April 2026
  • Type Eurofound research paper

  

• Algorithmic control: How digital surveillance is shaping online platform work in Europe

  Findings of a new Eurofound–ELA survey conducted in 15 Member States confirm the widespread use of intrusive algorithmic management practices in online platform work.

  • Date 12 February 2026
  • Type Article

  

• Working conditions of online platform workers: the complex legal landscape

  This working paper aims to provide an overview of the legal landscape of online platform work in the EU, focusing on a set of key issues relating to the rights and protections of online platform workers. Specifically, regulations concerning working conditions and social protection, the complexities of cross-border platform work, and regulations on algorithmic management, data privacy, and protection.

  • Date 27 November 2025
  • Type Working paper

  

• Platform work: Algorithmic management

  This article explores how algorithmic management operates, distinguishing between rule-based and AI-driven approaches, and examines how it automates key managerial functions such as planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling. It also considers the implications for workers’ employment status, drawing on recent court rulings, and assesses its impact on working conditions, highlighting both potential benefits such as efficiency gains and risks including reduced autonomy, unfair treatment and privacy infringements.

  • Date 30 May 2025
  • Type Dossier