When Zanele Mthembu logs onto her delivery app in Durban, South Africa, she no longer has to guess why her pay fluctuates or why some gigs vanish from her screen. On June 12, in a landmark vote, 406 member states, employer groups, and worker representatives at the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the first-ever binding international convention granting labour rights to gig workers—people like Mthembu who power the digital platforms that move cities and feed nations. The U.S. was one of only eight countries to vote no, while Britain and India abstained. But the momentum, driven by overwhelming global consensus, is undeniable.
For decades, the gig economy has operated in a legal gray zone, with companies classifying workers as independent contractors to sidestep minimum wage laws, safety protections, and job security. Now, under the new ILO convention, those classifications no longer matter: protections apply regardless. The agreement sets enforceable standards for minimum pay, occupational safety, and protection from arbitrary account deactivation. Crucially, it also introduces the world’s first international rules on algorithmic management—requiring platforms to disclose how automated systems determine pay, work allocation, and performance ratings, a demand workers have made since apps began dictating their livelihoods.
The stakes could not be higher. The World Bank estimates that between 154 million and 435 million people globally earn income through digital labour platforms. A 2025 Human Rights Watch report found that U.S. gig workers surveyed earned a median of just $5.12 per hour after expenses—30 percent below the federal minimum wage. In countries with weaker labour oversight, the situation is often worse. "For the first time in the history of international law, the women and men who move our cities, who clean and care in our homes… will be named, recognised and protected by a binding international standard," said Amanda Brown, vice chair of the ILO’s Workers’ Group.
Yet the real work begins now. The ILO cannot enforce the convention on its own—countries must ratify it and integrate it into national law. While European nations have historically ratified ILO standards at higher rates, the U.S. opposition signals resistance in key markets. Still, where adopted, the convention could empower workers to sue platforms directly and give civil society new leverage to hold governments accountable. "This is a floor, not a ceiling," said Lena Simet of Human Rights Watch. With the standard now set, the world watches who will rise to meet it.