ilo.org (01.10.2020) Based on findings from seven countries (Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand), the ILO has outlined 10 possible policy responses to inform dialogue among governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations to advance decent work opportunities for more women and men in the digital economy

worldbank.org (28.09.2020) The economic impact of COVID-19 is unprecedented in size and scope. It has quickly evolved from a health emergency into an employment crisis. It also has far-reaching implications for workers beyond the immediate employment effects, as it most likely has accelerated the transformation process of jobs that had already started in the region and the world. This book focuses on three important pre-pandemic trends observed in the region—namely, premature deindustrialization, servicification of the economy, and task automation—that were significantly changing the labor market landscape in the region and that have been accelerated by the crisis.

blogs.worldbank.org (07.07.2020) The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the long-anticipated surge in telemedicine services worldwide. Consulting a health care provider over phone, video or text has become the new normal for many non-urgent medical needs, while the crisis has sparked renewed interest in digital tools that can test and monitor at-risk patients safely in their homes.

IMF Blog (22.07.2020) The practical challenge of quickly getting financial support in the hands of people who lost jobs amid the COVID-19 economic crisis has baffled advanced and developing economies alike. Economic lockdowns, physical distancing measures, patchy social protection systems and, especially for low-income countries, the high level of informality, complicate the task. Many governments are leveraging mobile technology to help their citizens.

Bloomberg (16.06.2020) France will consider proposals to protect gig workers after pandemic lockdowns pushed the status of people who rely on tech platforms for their income to the forefront. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has appointed a group of nine experts to suggest increased protection for platform workers, such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Deliveroo drivers, and others by October, according to a copy of the request made public by one of the members.

The New York Times (27.06.2020) Many gig-based business models help customers take advantage of workers. Let’s stop giving tech companies a free ride.

revista.seg-social.es (09.06.2020) La Seguridad Social en España cuenta con un assistente virtual, ISSA (Inteligencia Artificial+ Seguridad Social) con información sobre el recién aprobado Ingreso Mínimo Vital, que se podrá solicitar a partir del próximo 15 de junio, donde encontrará respuesta a cuestiones como los requisitos, la documentación, el proceso de solicitud o la cuantía. Desde esta ventana podrá preguntar, entre otras muchas cosas, cómo solicitar la pensión de jubilación o cualquiera de las prestaciones del Sistema como la de nacimiento y cuidado del menor; qué requisitos tiene que cumplir para acceder a las mismas; cómo pedir su vida laboral, darse de alta como autónomo, tramitar el alta de una empleada de hogar y, mientras dure el estado de alarma por la COVID-19, cómo hacerlo si las oficinas están cerradas. Este asistente permite mantener conversaciones y ofrecer respuestas con información oficial y de confianza en materia de Seguridad Social. Los ciudadanos tan solo deben formular sus consultas utilizando sus propias palabras.

businesstoday.in (05.06.2020) "Prioritising the needs of the poor and vulnerable will have to receive the highest priority with respect to digital initiatives," India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said.

brac.net (14.05.2020) Almost 18 million people live in extreme poverty in Bangladesh. The impact of COVID-19 on their livelihoods has been catastrophic. Research by BIGD and PPRC shows a 73% drop in income in households living in extreme poverty when measured in the first week of April 2020 compared to two months prior. The biggest challenge during COVID-19 is how to get relief to these people, who often live in hard-to-reach areas.

Development Pathways (21.04.2020) As the COVID-19 pandemic rages like a wild inferno at a global scale, humanity is neck-deep in responding with every resource, instrument, policy and strategy that is at its disposal.

opengovasia.com (29.04.2020) 20,000 common service centres will offer an Aadhaar updating service, catering to a large number of citizens in rural parts of the country.

The Economic Times (20.004.2020) The government has fast-tracked its plan to provide social security for gig economy workers and those in the unorganised sectors, anticipating a significant increase in their numbers as unemployment soars due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Financial Times (25.03.2020) Disruptions caused by coronavirus have exposed the gaps in the welfare system

Eurofound (19.03.2020) The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is starting to have a serious impact on the world economy. The consequences for platform workers are especially severe in light of forced work stoppages due to self-isolation and lack of sick pay in many cases. Recent media coverage shows that platform workers in the transport sector (ride hailing and food delivery) are most affected, while professional services performed online (such as remote consultations with health professionals) could help to reduce the pressure on health systems.

EURACTIV.com (19.02.2020) Artificial Intelligence technologies carrying a high-risk of abuse that could potentially lead to an erosion of fundamental rights will be subjected to a series of new requirements, the European Commission announced on Wednesday (19 February).

businessmirror.com.ph (13.02.2020) AS the country’s so-called gig economy industry continues to rise, lawmakers are pushing for measures to protect freelance workers by establishing a basic regulatory framework to enable them to anticipate challenges ahead.

The Local (30.01.2020) Companies are increasingly outsourcing services, and as a result the number of self-employed workers in Germany has risen sharply. Many are learning that working one job is just not enough.

Biometric Update (18.10.2019) The potential of biometric ID systems for abuse in some countries is a major threat to individuals, and current practices risk the world “stumbling zombie-like into a digital welfare dystopia,” according UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Professor Philip Alston.

World Economic Forum (23.09.2019) Debates about the gig economy tend to focus on transportation network companies (TNCs) and other locally provided services. Less discussed but of growing importance in the world of work are cross-border, web-based, digital labour platforms.

The Guardian (14.10.2019) In an exclusive global series, the Guardian lays bare the tech revolution transforming the welfare system worldwide – while penalising the most vulnerable