The Platform Work Directive (PWD) can significantly improve the labour market status, working conditions, and social security of platform workers in both EU and candidate countries.

Until December 2, 2026, EU Member States have to transpose the Platform Work Directive into their national laws, but EU candidate countries also need to adopt and implement EU law into their own national legal systems. Monitoring the transposition process, along with the involvement of key stakeholders, is a major requirement for the success of the PWD.

Within the Platform Revolution project, background papers were published offering an overview of the evolving landscape of platform work in North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Albania, and Slovakia.

The papers explore the rapid growth of digital labour platforms since 2014, mapping the types, prevalence, and demographic characteristics of platform workers across the countries.

Drawing on recent survey data, the papers highlight both the opportunities and challenges posed by platform work — including flexibility, supplementary income, and the risks of precarious employment and regulatory gaps.

Authors of the background papers are Silke Maes, Darko Antikj, Jasminka Frishchikj, Daria Szafarczyk, Hubert Gołębiewski, Ana Milinković, Ivana Božović, Dragana Jaćimović, Sonila Muskaj, Timotej Kováčik, as well as CELSI researcher Tibor T. Meszmann.

Get to know Platform Revolution project at: https://www.europeum.org/en/projects/platform-revolution-shaping-the-future-of-work-in-the-eu-and-western-balkan/

To learn more, explore our background papers on North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Albania, and Slovakia: https://www.europeum.org/en/articles-and-publications/background-papers-mapping-platform-work/