Platform work rules in Ireland
Ireland is preparing its transposition of the EU Platform Work Directive, which must be in national law by 2 December 2026. No draft legislation has been published and no national presumption of employment for platform work is in force yet.
Ireland's autumn law plans leave out platform work
What happened
The Irish government published its plan of new laws for the autumn on 16 September 2026. The plan does not include a bill for the EU platform work rules. A public consultation on those rules closed in November 2025, and no draft law has been published since.
What it means for you
Nothing new applies to you in Ireland yet. There is still no draft Irish law for these rules. The EU deadline of 2 December 2026 is now close.
Dates to know
- 2 December 2026EU deadline for the new rules to be in national law.
Source: Department of the Taoiseach (Government of Ireland). 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. Ireland has no platform-specific presumption; classification currently rests on the five-step Karshan (Domino's Pizza) Supreme Court test.
Where does Ireland stand on the Directive?
A public consultation run by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment closed on 3 November 2025 and assessment is underway, but no draft legislation has been published yet. 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 Ireland?
How Teamed helps while Ireland has no presumption
Teamed employs your Irish team, so status rests on a written employment contract, not on the Karshan five-step test the Workplace Relations Commission applies.
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
The role, the budget and the day-to-day direction of your Irish team's work.
Ireland has published no transposing bill, and the Autumn 2026 legislation programme lists none. Duties here follow Irish employment law until that changes.
At a glance
| Presumption of employment | Not yet |
|---|---|
| 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 Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment ran a public consultation that closed on 3 November 2025, no draft legislation or general scheme has been published, and the Autumn 2026 Legislation Programme lists no transposing bill (as of 22 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 Ireland yet?
A public consultation run by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment closed on 3 November 2025 and assessment is underway, but no draft legislation has been published yet.
Who is responsible if we hire through an Employer of Record?
If Teamed is the legal employer, your team in Ireland 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 Ireland, your people are compliantly employed from day one, so a shifting presumption of employment is not a risk you carry.
