Legal Regulation of Platform Employment in the Digital Economy: Prospects for Improving Labor Legislation of Uzbekistan

Abstract

This article examines the legal regulation of platform employment in Uzbekistan against the background of the rapid expansion of the digital economy. Platform work, performed through applications and online intermediaries such as ride-hailing, delivery, and freelance marketplaces, does not fit neatly into the binary division between employees and independent contractors that underlies Uzbekistan's labor legislation. The study analyzes the Labor Code, the Law on Employment of the Population, the self-employment regime, and sectoral acts regulating aggregator-based taxi services and identifies gaps concerning social protection, algorithmic management, and dispute resolution for platform workers. Using doctrinal and comparative legal analysis, the article evaluates international regulatory responses, including the European Union's platform work directive and International Labour Organization standards, and proposes a hybrid legal status, mandatory platform transparency obligations, and portable social insurance mechanisms as measures for improving Uzbekistan's labor legislation in the digital era.