The study, conducted in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, interviewed 295 women workers (domestic workers and massage therapists) and, among them, both traditional gig workers who work offline and platform-based gig workers.

This research is relevant because is one of the first study on the impact of labour platforms on working conditions, such, in this, case, in care work, in the Global South.

This brief by Just Economy And Labour Institute (Gender Divide, Labour Platforms, Labour Regulation, Working Conditions), explores the evolution of gig work in Thailand’s care economy, showing its impact on female workers' flexibility, access and autonomy.

It focuses on the positive and negative aspects of platform work and aims to strengthen women’s decision-making power in determining their employment and working conditions.

It also contains recommendations for platform companies as well as for the Thai Government on gender policies and collaborative empowerment programmes, aiming to a regulatory approach that centralises women's labour issues on platforms.

According to the research, care labour platforms still express gender-normative attitudes that only women are suitable to perform care work, also exposing women workers to the risk of gender-based violence.  

Despite this, many platforms still do not have policies based on women workers' needs.

Here are reported the main recommendations suggested by the Study, focused on working conditions, social protection, and gender sensitive policies:

Finally, the Brief calls on the Government for a new regulatory framework on the matter and for conducting research on ongoing transformations on taxations, social protection and working condition in the digital economy.

For a more detailed analysis, at global level, of the platform labour market and its implications, in terms of the nature of contractual relationships and the consequences for both the worker and the platforms, please refer to our November 2021 edition and subsequent updates.