Platform work rules in Germany
Germany is preparing its transposition of the EU Platform Work Directive, which must be in national law by 2 December 2026. No draft bill has been published and no national presumption of employment for platform work is in force yet.
German states press the government for a platform work law
What happened
The Bundesrat is the chamber that speaks for Germany’s states. On 25 September 2026 it asked the government to bring forward a law soon. It also asked for delivery riders to be employed directly.
What it means for you
Nothing new applies to you in Germany yet. This was a request, not a new law. Germany still has no draft law, and the EU deadline is 2 December 2026.
Dates to know
- 2 December 2026EU deadline for the new rules to be in national law.
Source: Bundesrat. We check this page every week. Last checked .
The EU Platform Work Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/2831) improves conditions for people working through digital labour platforms. Its centrepiece is a rebuttable presumption of employment: where the facts show the platform directs and controls the work, the person is presumed to be an employee, and the platform, not the worker, carries the burden of proving otherwise. It also regulates algorithmic management, requiring transparency about the automated systems that monitor and decide, human oversight of significant decisions, and limits on the personal data platforms may process. Member states must write it into national law by 2 December 2026, and the presumption applies from that date with no retroactive effect. Germany is considering options including a possible direct-employment requirement, building on Federal Labour Court criteria of economic dependence, direction and integration.
Where does Germany stand on the Directive?
The German government confirmed in April 2026, in answers to parliamentary questions, that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is drafting transposing legislation. As of 29 September 2026 no ministerial draft bill (Referentenentwurf) had been published. On 25 September 2026 the Bundesrat adopted a resolution calling on the federal government to bring forward a transposing bill promptly, and asking for a direct-employment requirement for delivery couriers; that resolution does not itself change the law. No national presumption of employment for platform work is in force yet.
What is the presumption of employment?
The presumption of employment means that where the facts of the relationship point to direction and control, a platform worker is legally treated as an employee unless the platform proves otherwise. It shifts the burden of proof onto the platform. Each member state sets the exact mechanism in national law, so the trigger and the rebuttal differ country by country.
What must platforms do on algorithmic management?
Platforms must be transparent about the automated systems that assign work, monitor performance and make decisions. Significant decisions, such as suspending or blocking an account, must have human oversight rather than being left to an algorithm alone, and platforms cannot process certain personal data, for example a worker's emotional state, private conversations, or data used to predict trade-union activity.
Hiring in Germany?
What Teamed carries while Germany is still drafting
Germany's courts, not a statute, still decide platform-work status, and Teamed employs your team to the Federal Labour Court's criteria: direction, integration, economic dependence.
These sit with us
- Evidence of who directs and controls the work
- Transparency on the systems that assign and monitor work
- Human review of significant automated decisions
- Restricted personal data kept out of monitoring
You keep
Day-to-day direction of the work, the tools your team uses, the targets you set.
No German draft bill has been published, so no platform-work presumption applies yet. The labour ministry is drafting ahead of December 2026.
At a glance
| Presumption of employment | Not yet; no published draft bill (Bundesrat called for one on 25 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|
| Algorithmic-management rules | Due by 2 December 2026 |
| Human oversight of decisions | Due by 2 December 2026 |
| National law in force | Not yet (deadline 2 Dec 2026) |
| Penalties | Set nationally on transposition |
Key figures
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Directive reference | Directive (EU) 2024/2831 (source) |
| Transposition deadline | 2 December 2026 (source) |
| National transposition status | Not yet transposed; the federal government has confirmed it is preparing transposing legislation, but no ministerial draft bill (Referentenentwurf) has been published. The Bundesrat adopted a non-binding resolution on 25 September 2026 calling for a bill (as of 29 September 2026) (source) |
Frequently asked questions
When does the Platform Work Directive take effect?
Member states must transpose it into national law by 2 December 2026, and the presumption of employment applies from that date. It has no retroactive effect, though it can apply to relationships still ongoing on that date.
Does the Directive apply in Germany yet?
Not yet. The German government confirmed in April 2026, in answers to parliamentary questions, that the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is drafting transposing legislation, but as of 29 September 2026 no ministerial draft bill (Referentenentwurf) had been published. On 25 September 2026 the Bundesrat adopted a resolution asking the government to bring one forward, which is a political request rather than a change in the law.
Who is responsible if we hire through an Employer of Record?
If Teamed is the legal employer, your team in Germany is already employed compliantly, so the presumption of employment is not a reclassification risk you carry. Teamed handles the statutory pieces in-country.
The Platform Work Directive is about ending misclassification: if a person is genuinely directed and controlled like an employee, they should be employed like one. When Teamed is your legal employer in Germany, your people are compliantly employed from day one, so a shifting presumption of employment is not a risk you carry.
