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Non-standard forms of employment

"Non-standard forms of employment” – also referred to as diverse forms of work – is an umbrella term for different employment arrangements that deviate from standard employment. They include temporary employment; part-time and on-call work; temporary agency work and other multiparty employment relationships; as well as disguised employment and dependent self-employment. As working from home does not take place at the employer’s premises, but rather at the worker’s home or at another location of their choosing, it too is considered a diverse employment arrangement. Non-standard employment features prominently on digital labour platforms.

The increase in non-standard forms of employment in the past few decades has been driven by a variety of forces, including demographic shifts, labour market regulations, macroeconomic fluctuations, and technological changes. In some instances, this greater diversity in working arrangements has accommodated such changes and allowed more workers to integrate into the labour market, but it has also posed challenges for working conditions and for performance of companies, as well as for the overall performance of labour markets, economies and societies. While digital labour platforms are a product of technological advances, work on these platforms resembles many long-standing work arrangements, merely with a digital tool service as an intermediary.
Realizing decent work in the platform economy

Realizing decent work in the platform economy

Fifth item on the agenda of the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (2025): standard-setting, first discussion

Thematic pages

Digital labour platforms
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Digital labour platforms

Working from home
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Working from home

Temporary employment
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Temporary employment

Part-time and on-call work
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Part-time and on-call work

Multi-party employment
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Multi-party employment

Disguised employment / Dependent self-employment
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Disguised employment / Dependent self-employment

Highlights

Key-publications

Regulating the use of temporary contracts by enterprises

Regulating the use of temporary contracts by enterprises

Firms' demand for temporary labour in developing countries: Necessity or strategy?

Firms' demand for temporary labour in developing countries: Necessity or strategy?

Income security in the on-demand economy: Findings and policy lessons from a survey of crowdworkers

Income security in the on-demand economy: Findings and policy lessons from a survey of crowdworkers

The rise of the «just-in-time workforce»: On-demand work, crowdwork and labour protection in the 'gig-economy'

The rise of the «just-in-time workforce»: On-demand work, crowdwork and labour protection in the 'gig-economy'

More ILO publications on non-standard forms of employment

More ILO publications on non-standard forms of employment

Tripartite meeting of experts on non-standard forms of employment

Contact info

For additional information on the ILO's Non-standard forms of employment topic please contact the Inclusive Labour Markets, Labour Relations and Working Conditions Branch at inwork@ilo.org