The law will be adapted to European regulations
The draft law was discussed at a meeting of the “Work on Digital Platforms” working group, which operates under the Economic Council attached to the Prime Minister’s Office.
As noted by Mihai-Gabriel Ciobanu, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the document was drafted in accordance with the provisions of EU Directive 2024/2831 on improving working conditions on digital platforms and adapted to the specific characteristics of the labor market in the Republic of Moldova.
The main goal of the bill is to create a modern legal framework for platform-based employment, preserving the flexibility of this work format while ensuring that workers receive the necessary social guarantees.
What Will Change for Digital Platform Workers
According to the Ministry of Labor, hundreds of Moldovans currently earn income through digital platforms, working in delivery, passenger transportation, online services, and other activities.
However, many of them effectively fall outside a clearly defined legal framework, which creates uncertainty regarding their employment status and the exercise of their social rights.
The bill proposes to introduce a mechanism for determining the existence of an employment relationship in cases provided for by law, to establish transparency requirements for the automated algorithms used by platforms, to strengthen the protection of workers’ personal data, and to require mandatory human oversight when automated decisions are made that could affect working conditions.
Participants in the consultations also discussed the potential impact of the new rules on the operations of digital platforms, ways to improve legislation on independent employment, strengthening the capabilities of the State Labor Inspectorate, and ensuring compliance with occupational safety and health requirements for workers in the platform economy.
Consultations on the draft law with representatives of digital platforms, labor unions, employers, and other stakeholders will continue. After analyzing the proposals received, the draft law will be finalized and submitted for inter-agency coordination.
