A serious new report from Fairwork, a analysis community backed by the College of Oxford and WZB Berlin that researches the net gig economic system, means that many of the world’s main on-line work platforms are failing to uphold even probably the most fundamental labour requirements. The Fairwork Cloudwork Scores 2025 assess 16 of the world’s most generally used on-line work platforms on 5 core rules: honest pay, circumstances, contracts, administration, and illustration.
On-line gig economic system work, often known as cloudwork, sometimes includes distant, task-based jobs like knowledge labelling, transcription, software program improvement, and design. Many of those duties are elementary for creating AI techniques, making these roles a vital a part of the AI growth and the broader digital panorama. It’s a rising sector, with the World Financial institution estimating as much as 435 million folks worldwide are already working this fashion. However Fairwork’s findings reveal that behind this fast progress lies a system the place revenue routinely trumps safety, leaving tens of millions of staff unprotected.
Solely 4 out of 16 platforms (25 %) may present that staff constantly earn a minimum of the native minimal wage after prices. The remaining 12, together with Amazon Mechanical Turk, Fiverr, Freelancer, and Upwork, didn’t present proof that they assure cost for each accomplished job or that staff earn a minimum of minimal wage.
Fairwork additionally surveyed over 750 staff throughout 100 nations. Of these, 31 % had skilled non-payment, and 38 % reported late funds. One employee from Nigeria, registered on Amazon Mechanical Turk, advised researchers: “I want I may get my cash in my checking account fairly than present playing cards.” This comes regardless of the net gig economic system being valued at $557 billion in 2024 and projected to develop to $647 billion in 2025.
Over half of platforms embody contract clauses that actively weaken staff’ rights reminiscent of imprecise job descriptions, blanket legal responsibility clauses, and with lack of transparency. Solely 6 out of 16 platforms (38 %) demonstrated contracts that pretty mirror the work being accomplished.
Employees are additionally excluded from decision-making: whereas 6 platforms (38 %) now formally recognise the best to organise – up from simply 2 final yr – some enable collective bargaining or shared governance however none may present they’re actively participating in these processes.
Most platforms fail to help staff’ wellbeing: over half present no wellbeing help in any respect. Moreover, solely 7 out of 16 have insurance policies to protect towards well being and security dangers reminiscent of burnout or again ache.
The 2025 scores mirror the biggest wave of platform enhancements because the Fairwork challenge started, in response to the report. Via direct engagement, Fairwork has helped eight platforms make 56 adjustments since 2023, from updating contracts to enhancing dispute decision and pay transparency. These adjustments may gain advantage as many as two million staff.
However the overwhelming majority of platforms nonetheless fail to fulfill even the minimal requirements. With out stronger regulation and enforcement, tens of millions will stay in precarious, low-paid, and unprotected work. Fairwork is asking for stronger nationwide and worldwide regulation towards these platforms.
