Risks, rewards and responsibilities: Lessons from South African platform workers for achieving decent work

Platform work has attracted global policy attention as part of efforts to extend decent work. Such work is critiqued for fostering insecurity by obscuring employer–employee relationships, but in development contexts it also offers accessible employment, especially for excluded groups. This article examines South African platform workers’ experiences of wages, security, and responsibilities and considers implications for reimagining the social contract. Drawing on 19 interviews with location- and web-based workers, the study highlights the paradox of platform work: it reproduces informality yet engages formal businesses and offers inclusion. Findings reveal how workers view themselves as independent contractors, report generally positive pay, but express concern about risk responsibilities shared between platforms and the state. Their perspectives challenge narrow notions of formalisation as the sole route to decent work. The study prompts thinking about alternative social policy approaches to decent work, especially in Global South contexts with high unemployment and informal employment.