New business models are resulting from the digital transformation and revolutionizing the world of work. The gig economy has profound implications for social dialogue and workers’ protection. While some see gigging as a way into regular employment for the hard-to-employ, others portend a pessimistic future of workers with little or no income-security protections. The Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) funded a research project aimed to generate a better understanding of how the gig economy is transforming social dialogue and workers’ protection. The research tackles several questions in the perspective of the ILO Decent Work Agenda. What are the implications of the gig economy for employment arrangements, social protection, and for social dialogue and labour relations in different sectors and countries? How can the technological and managerial innovation of the gig economy be managed and enhanced to ensure it delivers a measure of security and social protection to the workers? What should be the role of social dialogue and the social partners in shaping developments in the gig economy and ensuring decent work for gig workers?

In this final conference all research teams involved in the project – in Switzerland, Germany, Greece and United Kingdom – will present and discuss the results of their fieldwork with recognized international experts and the audience in general.