How Fair Are Digital Platforms?
The Fairwork Report 2025 is based on data on seven platforms that offer delivery, driving and household services in Germany. The Fairwork research network, which is coordinated by the WZB and the Oxford Internet Institute, regularly evaluates platforms in 41 countries on 5 continents. The current Germany report was presented at the WZB on July 14 in the presence of the media, trade unions and representatives from academia and politics. One thing is clear: there is still a lot of room for improvement.
“Unfortunately, there has been no progress - rather deterioration,” stated WZB researcher Patrick Feuerstein. “None of the platforms scored more than four out of ten possible points - and these only mark minimum standards.” The principles by which fairness is measured are the same for all countries: fair pay, fair working conditions, fair contracts, fair management processes and fair worker representation.
The delivery platform Lieferando, which works with directly employed drivers, scored best. Still - Semih Yalcin, Chairman of the General Works Council, who was present on the panel, expressed his concern that the principle of using subcontractors could also spread in his company, with drastic consequences for transparency and salary structures. Not a new topic for Robert Rath, Director of the Berlin State Office for Occupational Safety, Health Protection and Technical Safety: “Subcontractors have been employed in construction for decades - and we are not making any progress in limiting this.”
It is no coincidence that the WZB participates in the Fairwork project. The project's approach is in line with the WZB's mission: excellent research for the benefit of society. The detailed and long-term monitoring of the platform companies is not only intended to describe work under changing socio-economic and political conditions. The findings are intended to contribute to better pay, co-determination and social security. In this context, all those present also pinned their hopes on the EU directive on improving working conditions in platform work, the implementation of which into national law is imminent.
2025/7/15 GK