Invitation virtual launch “The Gig Trap: Algorithmic, Wage, and Labor Exploitation in Platform Work in the United States”
Human Rights Watch, in partnership with the Global Coalition for Social Protection Floors, is pleased to invite you to the virtual launch of the forthcoming report: “The Gig Trap: Algorithmic, Wage, and Labor Exploitation in Platform Work in the United States” will be held on Tuesday, May 13th, 2025 at 3:30 pm UTC.
The report examines how platform work is systemically eroding labor rights for a growing share of workers. It documents how seven digital labor platforms—Amazon Flex, DoorDash, Favor, Instacart, Lyft, Shipt, and Uber—misclassify workers as independent contractors, denying them labor protections while exercising tight algorithmic control over how jobs are assigned and paid.
This event comes at a critical moment – just two weeks before the 2025 International Labour Conference (ILC), where governments, employers, and worker representatives will debate a new international labor standard on platform work.
The event will feature platform workers, labor organizers, and global experts responding to the report’s findings and discussing:
How the platform business model has normalized sub-minimum wages and suppressed organizing
What national and international regulatory reforms are needed to protect platform workers’ rights
How to ensure algorithmic transparency, collective bargaining, and universal social protection in the platform economy
The event aims to inform public, media, and policy discourse ahead of the ILC and support efforts to strengthen protections for platform workers.
Moderator: Anna Bacciarelli, Human Rights Watch
Speakers
José Enrique Oñate Vera, UNT/ASPA Mexico
Lena Simet, Human Rights Watch
Amos Toh, Brennan Center for Justice
Nicole Moore, Rideshare Drivers United
Monica Tepfer, International Trade Union Confederation
Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights
Lance Compa, Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations
Civil Society Call for a Global Fund for Social Protection
Civil society organizations and trade unions unite to call for a Global Fund for Social Protection to protect the most vulnerable.
Civil society organizations and trade unions call governments and international financial institutions to make a commitment to create social security systems that enable everyone to realize their rights. Governments and financial institutions should end policies that have been failing millions of people.
The programme Improving Synergies Between Social Protection and Public Finance Management provided medium-term support to multiple countries aiming to strengthen their social protection systems at a national level and ensure sustainable financing. The programme aimed to support countries in their efforts towards achieving universal social protection coverage.
This initiative was implemented jointly by the ILO, Unicef, and the GCSPF.
