Indonesia is one of the countries with the most online platform workers

At the international level there is no agreement on the definition of technology platform workers. But this report refers to people who work for on-demand services as platform workers.

In the same report, the ILO said that there were 80 percent of workers on major online platforms in 15 countries around the world. The fifteen countries mentioned by the ILO have the highest share of workers economic platform in the world, namely India (26.9 percent), followed by Bangladesh (14.62 percent), Pakistan (12.05 percent), the United States (5.59 percent), the United Kingdom (3.83 percent), the Philippines (3.33 percent), then Ukraine (2.62 percent). Then, Russia (2.57 percent), Egypt (1.79 percent), Indonesia (1.52 percent), China (1.42 percent), Serbia (1.37 percent), Sri Lanka (1.13 percent) , Canada (1.07 percent), and Kenya (1.01 percent).

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In its report, the ILO acknowledges that the economy generated by technology platforms is dynamic and evolving. It is estimated to cover billions of users on both the supply and demand sides, millions of application developers, thousands of digital infrastructure companies, and hundreds of multi-sector platform companies. Efforts to accurately count the number of platforms still remain a challenge.

Nevertheless, through various research sources, the ILO estimates that the number of technology platforms has increased from 193 in 2010 to 1,070 platforms in 2023. Among them are delivery platforms (334 platforms) and transportation platforms (119 platforms).

ILO acknowledges that the barriers to entry for working in technology platforms are low, as one only needs a smartphone and an internet connection. Some social groups who face difficulties in accessing the job market view technology platforms as an opportunity for employment.

Chair of the Indonesian Transport Workers Union Lily Pujiati, Wednesday (8/5/2024), in Jakarta, said that although the barriers to entry as technology platform workers are low, the people who work there have never been recognized as "workers" by the state. The mention of partners is often misleading. During Eid, for example, a number of on-demand services technology platforms, such as online transportation, issue incentive policies. This policy actually makes drivers have to work harder to meet order targets in a day.

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"Many driver friends had their partner status terminated, but their balances were forfeited. When we participated in labor protests, we received notifications threatening to take us to court by the platform company," he said.

According to him, many women have already joined as technology platform drivers, including those who are married. However, their protection tends to be weak.

"The government has mentioned creating special regulations that regulate partnership relations. What we want is for us, online transportation drivers, to be recognized as workers by the state," Lily asserted.

Meanwhile, Research Officer of the Center for Digital Society (CfDS) at Gadjah Mada University, Arifatus Sholekhah, believes that people who work for technology platforms often feel more flexible and not bound by strict working hours. However, this flexibility is often abused by platform companies to exploit their workers. For example, access to social security benefits is not provided by platform companies.

"In terms of wages, BPS data in August 2021 alone shows that more than 50 percent of workers in Indonesia receive wages below the minimum wage. "We suspect that this data does not include people who work freelance," said Arifatus.

More than 50 percent of workers in Indonesia receive wages below the minimum wage. We suspect that this data does not include people who work freelance.

SMERU Research Institute's researcher Palmira Permata B views that, all this time, those working for technology platforms are often considered as partners or informal workers. Pressures for them to be formalized as formal employees, like those in companies, will face a lengthy process.

"Online motorcycle taxi drivers and others who are often called partners do not have to wait to be 'formalized'. "Just continue to push so that existing policies, such as social security policies, are implemented optimally," he said.

Article 32 Paragraph (2) of Regulation of the Minister of Manpower No. 5 of 2021 requires non-employees, such as individuals who work as partners of online transportation drivers, to participate in the work accident insurance program (JKK) and death insurance (JKM). Furthermore, Article 34 of Regulation of the Minister of Manpower No. 5 of 2021 states that membership in the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) for partner workers must be ensured by service providers.

Previously, Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah stated that they plan to prepare special regulations that regulate partnership work relations. The contents of these special regulations are planned to include the firmness of workers in partnership relations becoming participants in social security, wage equality, as well as health and safety at work. She conveyed this plan after a meeting with the DPR's Commission IX, on Tuesday (26/3/2024), in Jakarta.

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