The Path of Labor Protection for Platform Workers Insights from China's Quasi-labor Relationship

Abstract

The platform economy's rapid growth has made it harder to determine platform workers' employment status, as algorithmic management produces forms of subordination that differ from traditional employment. This dissertation compares the EU Platform Work Directive with China's quasi-labor relationship theory using legal interpretation, comparative, and case analysis methods. The Directive's employment presumption reduces workers' burden of proof but leaves substantive classification and protection questions unresolved. Both the Directive's binary structure and the tripartite classification alternative fail to provide adequate protection for workers in the gray zone. This dissertation argues that within a binary framework, legal interpretation and legislative techniques can extend substantive protection to platform workers directly, without creating a new intermediate category. This approach balances legal consistency with practical protection needs and offers a reference for EU member states implementing the Directive.