Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, "Prompt Enactment of the Platform Workers Protection Act"

Minister Lee Jae-gap of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] On the 28th, Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated that he will strive to promptly enact a law to protect platform workers who work through digital platforms such as smartphone apps, like delivery drivers.

On the same day, Minister Lee held a meeting with representatives from 'Wishket,' an IT workforce brokerage platform company, and 'CrowdWorks,' an AI data platform company, at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul.

At the meeting, he said regarding the Platform Worker Protection Act, "We are conducting consultations with labor and management to implement measures such as legislative promotion, and we will prepare to ensure that legislation is enacted promptly."

Types of platform jobs. (Source: Ministry of Employment and Labor)

Platform workers are classified as individual business operators and thus are not covered by labor laws such as the Labor Standards Act. The government is promoting the enactment of a special law to protect them. Labor circles have pointed out that labor laws should also apply to platform workers.

Minister Lee said, "For the development of platform technology to lead to the creation of good jobs, an approach that prioritizes the 'working people' is essential."

He added, "For new platform companies entering the market to successfully settle and grow together, it is necessary to support platform workers who provide labor through the platform so that they can work with trust."

Representatives of platform companies attending the meeting proposed measures such as distributing standard contracts, preventing unfair trade, providing tax consultation support, vocational training, establishing certification systems, and building career recognition systems to protect platform workers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.