Date: Wednesday, 29 July
Duration: 2 hours
Interpretation was available in Spanish, Russian, Thai, Swahili, Hindi, and Portuguese.
About the Event
Digital platforms are changing the world of work. More and more home-based workers are using online marketplaces, social media, and digital apps to reach customers, sell their products, and generate income. While these new opportunities can help expand markets and improve livelihoods, they also raise important questions about workers’ rights, protections, and working conditions.
HomeNet International held an interactive learning session designed especially for our affiliate members. Whether you already use digital platforms or are simply curious about how they work, this webinar provided a practical introduction to the platform economy and why it matters for home-based workers.
Together, we explored what the platform economy is, how it is evolving, and how home-based workers are connected to this growing part of the global economy. We also learned about the recent adoption of the ILO Convention on Decent Work in the Platform Economy at this year’s International Labour Conference and discussed what this important achievement could mean for workers around the world.
The webinar featured insights from an expert on the platform economy, a real-life experience from a home-based worker using digital platforms, and opportunities for participants to ask questions, share experiences, and learn from one another.
Whether you are a leader, organizer, or home-based worker, this session was an opportunity to build knowledge, strengthen understanding of emerging forms of work, and join an important conversation about shaping a future of decent work that includes all workers.
Meet the Panellists
Uma Rani is Senior Economist at the Research Department of the International Labour Office. Since 2016, she has been working on digital transformations in the world of work, exploring how labour and social institutions can be strengthened to address economic and social inequalities. She coordinated the ILO's flagship report, World Employment and Social Outlook 2021: The Role of Digital Labour Platforms in Transforming the World of Work, and is currently co-editing the book From Taylorism to Algorithmic Management: A Multi-Sector Analysis of Technology, Control and Worker Experiences.
Pat Horn is responsible for Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)'s work on collective bargaining in the informal economy. In 2026, she led WIEGO's delegation to the Committee on Decent Work in the Platform Economy at the International Labour Conference. She is the Founder and Senior Advisor of StreetNet International and previously served as its International Coordinator from 2002 to 2019. A veteran trade unionist and organizer, she has worked with informal economy workers for more than four decades and continues to represent the Community Constituency in South Africa's National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC).
Rebecca Nelson is a member of HomeNet International's Executive Committee, serving as the Chairperson and member delegate of UWAMINTA (Union of Handicraft Homeworkers in Tanzania). She is an expert in batik production. Rebecca has been instrumental in expanding organizing and mobilizing efforts for home-based workers in Tanzania and across the African region, making a significant contribution to their empowerment.