Platform work rules in Italy
Italy already has a platform-work presumption of employment in national law, and must transpose the rest of the EU Platform Work Directive by 2 December 2026.
Italy’s new rules are still on hold
What happened
A committee of MPs met again on 23 September 2026. It could not vote, because the privacy watchdog has not sent its opinion yet. The decree is still not law.
What it means for you
One rule already applies to you today. Since 1 May 2026, app riders count as employees when an app controls their work, unless the company proves otherwise. The new decree would cover all platform work, not just riders.
Dates to know
- 2 December 2026EU deadline for the new rules to be in national law.
Source: Camera dei deputati (Chamber of Deputies of Italy). 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. Italy is the furthest advanced with an in-force measure, though that presumption is currently focused on riders and sits alongside pre-existing Legislative Decree 81/2015 protections; a broader transposing decree covering all platform work was preliminarily approved in July 2026.
Where does Italy stand on the Directive?
Decree-Law 62/2026 took effect on 1 May 2026 and was converted into Law 112/2026 in June 2026, introducing a rebuttable presumption of subordinate employment for platform riders where algorithmic control indicators are present. On 23 July 2026 the Council of Ministers gave preliminary approval to a legislative decree transposing the Directive in full, covering employment status, algorithmic management, information duties and penalties. That decree was transmitted to Parliament as Atto del Governo n. 433 and is still with the parliamentary committees for their opinions. Neither lead committee has given its opinion: the Chamber's Labour Committee took the decree again on 23 September 2026 but could not vote, because the data protection authority had not yet sent its own opinion. It is not yet in force. A platform-work presumption of employment already applies under national law.
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 Italy?
What Teamed carries while Italy legislates in stages
Italy's rider presumption has been in force since May 2026, with a wider decree before Parliament. Teamed employs your Italian team and carries the employer duties under each.
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 targets and day-to-day direction of the work in Italy
Only the rider presumption is law in Italy today. Algorithmic-management and human-review duties follow the transposing decree, still before parliamentary committees.
At a glance
| Presumption of employment | Yes |
|---|---|
| Algorithmic-management rules | In transposing decree, still before the parliamentary committees |
| Human oversight of decisions | In transposing decree, still before the parliamentary committees |
| National law in force | 1 May 2026 |
| Penalties | In transposing decree, still before the parliamentary committees |
Key figures
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Directive reference | Directive (EU) 2024/2831 (source) |
| Transposition deadline | 2 December 2026 (source) |
| National transposition status | Partly in force; the full transposing decree is still before the parliamentary committees as Atto del Governo n. 433. Neither lead committee has delivered its opinion: the Chamber committee could not vote on 23 September 2026 pending the data protection authority’s opinion, and the Senate lead committee sat on 22 and 23 September 2026 without concluding (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 Italy yet?
Partly. Decree-Law 62/2026 took effect on 1 May 2026 and was converted into Law 112/2026 in June 2026, introducing a rebuttable presumption of subordinate employment for platform riders where algorithmic control indicators are present. The decree transposing the Directive in full was transmitted to Parliament as Atto del Governo n. 433 and is still with the committees. The Chamber's Labour Committee could not vote its opinion on 23 September 2026 because the data protection authority had not yet reported, and the decree has not been finally adopted. That wider decree is not yet in force.
Who is responsible if we hire through an Employer of Record?
If Teamed is the legal employer, your team in Italy 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 Italy, your people are compliantly employed from day one, so a shifting presumption of employment is not a risk you carry.
