A Deliveroo cyclist makes a delivery in London, Britain, 7 August 2025. (Keystone/EPA/Neil Hall)

ILO closes in on setting first global ground rules for gig economy. Governments, employers and workers meeting over the next fortnight in Geneva are due to finalise the first binding international standards for decent work in the gig economy. Low pay, job insecurity and opaque management systems run by algorithms have long topped the list of grievances for workers tied to digital platforms.

The UN labour organisation is holding its annual conference in Geneva over the next two weeks. Countries, workers and employers will delve into sensitive issues from gender equality in the workplace to using AI to create decent jobs.

🧐On the dock. Several countries that have been under scrutiny for the past years, most notably Belarus and Myanmar, will be at the centre of discussions over serious abuses against workers.

Expect new additions to the list of offenders to be revealed today.

📜New rules. Talks will also continue on a convention under negotiation on the gig economy (see our story above), and countries will report for the first time after last year’s adoption of a new convention on workplace biorisks.

💸Money woes. But the overshadowing question will be the fate of the organisation as it grapples with the fallout of US grant terminations on top of $257 million in outstanding fees that Washington has been withholding, including $174 million from the past two years.

The appointment of a US national as deputy director – after months of standoff between Washington and director general Gilbert Houngbo, who insisted the US must clear its arrears before claiming its political slot – may signal that tensions are beginning to thaw.

With the US covering 22 per cent of the ILO’s regular budget – the single largest contribution – the unsettled bill has pushed the ILO to the brink – to the point of considering mass layoffs.
Others have also been dragging their feet. China, which similarly accounts for 20 per cent of the budget, still owes most of this year’s bill.

👉See our earlier reporting on the possible scenarios the ILO is mulling over. Houngbo is expected to offer more details on what’s to come at the conference.

Money discussions will kick off at the finance committee tomorrow.

— Michelle Langrand