Speakers call for fairer labour practices in digital platform-based economy in Asia
Speakers at a seminar emphasized the importance of promoting fair labour practices in the digital platform-based economy across Asia.
As a more equitable economic platform, they noted that digital platforms will enhance connectivity among Asian countries.
The speakers made the remarks at an international seminar titled ‘Digital Platform-based Economy: Policy and Regulatory Landscape in Asia,’ held in a Dhaka hotel on Wednesday.
DataSense at iSocial, a research institution for digital economy, in association with Fairwork Foundation at Oxford Internet Institute, UK, and Berlin Institute for Social Science, Germany, organized the seminar.
The seminar aimed at bringing Bangladeshi stakeholders and researchers from different countries in Asia together to discuss the labour practices in the digital platform-based gig economy in Asia, according to a press release.
The event featured presentations and panel discussions by distinguished speakers, including Dr. Balaji Parthasarathy, Principal Investigator of Fairwork India; Nur Huda, Principal Investigator, Fairwork Indonesia; Margreta Lanzador Medina, Researcher from Fairwork Philippines, who provided insights on the opportunities and challenges presented by the digital platform-based economy in Asia and the policy and regulatory frameworks necessary to support its growth.
Dr. Syed Muntasir Mamun, Director General of International Trade, Investment and Technology at the ICT wing of Ministry of Foreign Affairs also attended the seminar.
Dr. Ananya Raihan, Chief Imaginator, DataSense at iSocial said, “We are proud to have organized this important seminar, which provided a platform for researchers to share their findings and engage in conversations about creating a fairer platform economy in Asia. We believe that such collaborative efforts will help us achieve our aim towards a more equitable and sustainable future for the platform economy.”
Bangladesh has seen an exponential growth in gig economy. According to a study by BBF Digital, a 27% increase in its gig workforce was observed in Bangladesh in 2021.
The study estimated that Bangladesh will be the 24th largest economy in the world due to its substantial contribution to the gig economy by 2030.
At the seminar, representatives from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Philippines presented the policy landscape of the digital platform-based economy in these countries. The insights presented by the countries gave a strong basis for the open discussion.
Among the the discussants were Razequzzaman Ratan, member-secretary at the National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education; Fahim Mashroor, CEO at Delivery Tiger; Arfan Ali, Chairperson of Zaytoon Business Solutions; and Mahmudul Hasan Likhon, CEO at HelloTask.
Dr. Murali Shanmugavelan, a researcher at Oxford Internet Institute, also spoke in the seminar — highlighting the importance of such digital platforms-based economy.
During his speech, Dr. Shanmugavelan also called on all the parties concerned to keep the discussion going.
“It’s solidarity with workers, together we prosper. Let’s keep the discussion going!” He said.
Multiple stakeholders, including government officials, social and digital platform workers, researchers, and independent think tanks were present at the seminar.
Reference: https://unb.com.bd/category/Business/speakers-call-for-fairer-labour-practices-in-digital-platform-based-economy-in-asia/115131
