The gig economy is booming, but is it fair work? And other trends in jobs and skills this month

From ride-hailing and delivery apps to freelance marketplaces, digital labour platforms have transformed how millions of people earn a living.

Offering flexibility, autonomy and low entry barriers, the platform economy is growing fast – and is projected to be worth $2,1450 billion by 2033. But this rapid growth also raises questions around worker protections, job security, and the role of technology.

These intersecting challenges are being considered at the International Labour Organization’s 113th International Labour Conference this month.

Decent work in the platform economy sits as one of the most anticipated items on the agenda, with a record number of member states having weighed in on how to approach standard-setting.

With governments and policymakers around the world striving to find a place for platform work in the global economy, this must balance innovation and prosperity with a fair deal for workers.

The gig economy has become an integral part of the global workforce, providing countless individuals with flexible earning opportunities.

Reflective of broader macroeconomic trends, workers across the globe are on the quest for a ‘side hustle’ to supplement their income. In Malaysia, for example, around 70% of gig workers are part-timers.

With the cost of living continuing to rise, more and more individuals are looking for extra work to get by. A survey from BankNote found that over a third of ‘side hustlers’ in America believe they will always need a side hustle to make ends meet, and 26 million more Americans are expected to join the side-hustle economy by 2027.

Around 86% of employers expect AI to transform their businesses by 2030, according to the Future of Jobs report 2025. As AI systems continue to play an ever-increasing role in workers’ lives, regulation needs to keep pace.

In today’s AI-driven gig economy, workers aren’t just interacting with platforms, many now work through AI agents that assign tasks, manage payments and mediate communication. This shift presents both opportunity and risk. While AI offers flexibility and the potential for economic growth, it also threatens to deepen income inequality, heighten job insecurity and drive a race to the bottom, Forbes notes.

In the UK, The Guardian reports that takeaway delivery platforms are under pressure to disclose how opaque “black-box” algorithms determine job allocation and pay, with campaigners describing the current setup as “automating exploitation”.

Without transparency and accountability in how these systems operate, algorithmic bias and privacy violations could become defining features of the platform economy.

While global labour force participation among women is improving, progress remains uneven and fragile, particularly in lower-income economies where job gaps disproportionately affect women, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024.

The platform economy is poised to either help close or widen these gaps, depending on how they are designed and governed.

The gender wage gap in the gig economy is 30% (up from 20% in the traditional jobs market) - driven by factors like qualifications, project preferences, rate expectations and broader caregiving responsibilities.

As women and men use these platforms differently, policymakers must consider a nuanced approach to regulation.

While gig work’s flexible hours can help women balance caregiving duties and employment, many face heightened risks, including accidents and gender-based violence

In Mexico City, female workers say app emergency buttons often fail, calling for preventative measures such as algorithms blocking unsafe areas and apps removing penalties for cancelling dangerous jobs. In India, women say home-services apps that once promised freedom now erode their flexibility and autonomy, citing steep onboarding fees, punitive rating systems and constant pressure to stay available.

The platform economy’s future isn’t just a question of scale, it’s a question of values. Policymakers have a chance to ensure gig work evolves with dignity, equity and transparency at its core.

With global attention on the ILO’s standard-setting efforts, the opportunity is here to build a digital labour market that works for everyone.

AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs and spike unemployment to 10-20% in the next one to five years, according to Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei. But is this an accurate prediction, or purely part of the AI hype machine, designed to generate interest?

Layoffs in the IT sector have people asking whether AI is the culprit, as IT jobs are axed around the world, including in Africa; even while one prominent AI unicorn start-up collapses after admitting its “AI” was Indian workers all along.

Meanwhile, the ILO forecasts 7 million less jobs to be created this year than originally anticipated due to trade wars and tariff uncertainty. The agency also said that almost 84 million jobs across 71 countries “are directly or indirectly tied to US consumer demand” and are therefore vulnerable to the impacts of these tariffs.

While the debate is ongoing on the impact of US tariffs on jobs in China, anxiety among job seekers in the country is high amidst a glooming entry-level jobs crisis as employers cut graduate roles due to economic outlook.

Retirement ages in Europe and beyond could be set to shift, as Denmark’s government have adopted a law raising it to 70 by 2040, in a move some believe may signal a broader trend across the continent.

Workers’ rights across the globe have declined in 2025, according to a new trade union report. Three out of five global regions saw conditions worsen, with the Americas and Europe hitting their worst workers’ rights scores on record.