MOM consults on definitions of “platform operator” and “platform worker”, protection in the subcontracting scenario and platform operators’ duties regarding safety and health
25 August 2023
On 23 November 2022, the Ministry for Manpower (“MOM”) announced that the Singapore Government has accepted all 12 recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers (“Advisory Committee”) to strengthen protections for platform workers. Following on from this, MOM issued a consultation paper on 14 August 2023 seeking feedback on the definitions of “platform operator” and “platform worker”, treatment of a subcontracting scenario, and the duties of a platform operators towards the safety and health of their platform workers. The consultation closes on 4 September 2023.
The Advisory Committee considered that clarity on the definitions would help anchor implementation of the proposed recommendations. At the same time, the definitions need to be sufficiently flexible to accommodate significant differences between the delivery and ride-hail sectors. Flexibility was also important for the definitions to remain relevant amidst an evolving platform ecosystem, and to be applicable to new sectors if required. The Advisory Committee recommended that the Government consider the above factors, international practice and trends, and Singapore’s local context to determine the precise definitions.
Platform operators falling within the definition must meet requirements to provide protections in accordance with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, and to take reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of platform workers whom they contract with.
For more information about the recommendations by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers, please read our article titled “Singapore Government accepts recommendations by Advisory Committee on Platform Workers to strengthen protections for platform workers”.
Implementation timeline
It is stated in the consultation paper that the Government intends to introduce new legislation to implement the Advisory Committee’s recommendations beginning from the second half of 2024.
Reference materials
The following materials are available from the MOM website www.mom.gov.sg and REACH website www.reach.gov.sg: