As the digital economy is evolving faster than the regulations governing it, new forms of employment relationships often go beyond traditional definitions of employment. The status of digital platforms is not always defined, so it is not always clear how to categorize them – as employers or intermediaries in such relationships.
Today, hundreds of citizens work through digital platforms – delivery services, cabs, online services, etc. Often they operate in opaque conditions, lacking legal clarity and, as a consequence, fundamental rights such as vacation, rest, guaranteed minimum wages, job stability and social protection.
“Many of them are classified as self-employed, although their relations with the platforms are actually labor relations,” said Igor Zubcu, chairman of CNSM, during a roundtable dedicated to the World Day of Decent Work, celebrated on October 7. – Moldova is not an exception in this respect. Digital transformation changes the way of interaction on the labor market, but it should not deprive workers of the rights provided by the labor legislation”.
In this context, the commitment of Moldova to implement the Directive (EU) 2024/2831 on improving the working conditions of citizens working through digital platforms into national legislation by December 2026 was emphasized. The Directive introduces a legal presumption of labor relations and sets strict requirements for the protection of workers’ personal data.
The development of a future convention of the International Labor Organization (ILO) was also discussed, which is expected to enshrine basic rights (social protection, occupational health and safety and the right to association) for workers on digital platforms at the international level.
