Digital platform work in Latin America: challenges and perspectives for its regulation

The expansion of digital platforms opened up employment opportunities for those who had been unable to access formal jobs with living wages. However, these are informal jobs, considered by the platforms as self-employment, in a regional context in which there are no universal social security systems with coverage independent of employment status. The nature of the platforms and the work they generate gave rise to an intense debate in developed countries, which gained strength in Latin America. In this chapter we argue that there is no single solution to the problems derived from working on platforms and that the choice made will depend, among other factors, on the capacity of the state and social actors to regulate them and prevent them from contributing to increasing informality. To develop these ideas, the situation of the labour markets is analysed, the available evidence on platform work in some countries of the region is reviewed, and the different approaches and alternatives of regulation and public intervention are presented, including those arising from labour legislation and judicial interpretations.