Reforming Social Security Protection for Platform Workers in Malaysia’s Digital Labour Platforms

Digital labour platforms in Malaysia have seen rapid growth, providingflexible employment options for workers across sectors. However,platform workers lack social security protection while performing theirwork due to their informal employment status. The current studyexplores the existing regulatory framework for social security protectionin Malaysia and the issues faced by platform workers. It also highlightsimprovements that should be made to the Employment Act 1955 and theEmployee Social Security Act 1969. The study employs qualitativemethod, in the form of semi-structured interviews conducted withplatform workers and relevant authorities, in order to get their views indepthon issues surrounding social security protection in digital labourplatforms. The findings reveal that platform workers are susceptible towork-related injuries without appropriate compensation and retirementbenefits due to gaps in the current legal framework. This study providesvaluable insights for policymakers in devising social security protectionfor platform workers. The paper recommends the inclusion of ‘platformworker’ and ‘gig worker’ as employees under section 2 of theEmployment Act 1955.