As digitalisation deepens challenges in tourism and hospitality, a new policy brief from FUTOURWORK makes the case for stronger social dialogue and legal frameworks as a pathway to a fairer, more inclusive future for the sector.
Tourism and hospitality generates 10.5% of the EU’s GDP and employs some 12.3 million people. Yet the workers powering the sector – disproportionately women, young people and migrants – face precarious contracts, seasonality and low pay. Now, digitalisation in forms such as algorithmic management and platform work is adding a new layer of pressure.
Our first policy brief sets out how digitalisation is interacting with worker wellbeing, social dialogue and legal frameworks to shape working conditions. Drawing on research across Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the UK, it presents a cross-cutting framework for understanding these interconnections.
Our framework linking social dialogue, digitalisation, working conditions, worker wellbeing and legal frameworks in tourism and hospitality.
The brief outlines how policy can build on the progress of the Platform Work Directive and AI Act. It points to key policy considerations, from algorithmic transparency and independent bias audits to legal pathways guaranteeing gig and platform workers the right to organise.
It also introduces how FUTOURWORK is contributing evidence and solutions to help address the legal, institutional and technological challenges presented in the brief. These include our Worker Wellbeing Index, co-created legal handbooks, and a digital observatory bringing all our research together in one accessible hub.
Read Social Dialogue for Tourism and Hospitality Worker Wellbeing in the Digital Era.
