Who counts as a worker? The politics of claim-making in Africa’s gig economy

Abstract

As member states of the International Labour Organization begin negotiations on minimum labour standards for the platform economy, the question of who qualifies as a “worker” has emerged as a central issue. Until now, platform companies have largely operated outside of national regulatory frameworks, circumventing labour and social protections. While there is broad consensus that regulation is necessary, disagreement persists over how platform workers should be classified and what rights they should be entitled to. Employers’ representatives argue that workers are independent contractors and should be excluded from fundamental rights at work; while workers’ organisations contend that they are disguised employees and should be covered by standard labour protections (ILO, 2025). Research with African platform workers reveals a more complex dynamic. While many platform workers lack autonomy over the labour process, they identify as self-employed and organise politically around this identity (Castel-Branco et al., 2023; Omolo, 2022). How then to extend labour protections to platform workers, without undermining their individual and collective power? This question has been at the heart of longstanding debates about the regulation of the gig economy (Chen, 2023; Meagher, 2021). Drawing on three empirical case studies – domestic work in Angola, platform work in Kenya and street vending in Mozambique – this paper reflects on what we have learnt from past regulatory experiences. The first section explores the contradictions that arise when gig workers are made legible to the state for the purposes of regulation. The second examines the challenges of extending protections to workers who embody contradictory class identities. The third reflects on the implications of regulations for gig workers’ individual and collective power. Ultimately, the paper argues that "worker” is a contested political category rather than a fixed technical classification, the outcome of which reflects the balance of power between competing social forces.