Nearly 2 million people in Brazil rely on digital platforms to make a living, and long working hours and low wages have become a common global challenge.

(Central News Agency reporter Tang Yaling, special report from Sao Paulo on the 4th) Nearly 2 million people in Brazil rely on digital platforms to make a living, accounting for nearly 2% of the total employed population. Although platform work is highly flexible, workers generally face difficulties such as longer working hours, low hourly wages, unstable income, and insufficient security. A similar trend has emerged in Taiwan. How to balance work flexibility and labor protection has become a common challenge in the global labor market.

According to the latest survey by the Brazilian National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), nearly 2 million people in Brazil will work through digital platforms in 2025, accounting for 1.9% of the total employed population. Passenger transportation platforms such as Uber and 99 are the main ones, accounting for about 60%; food delivery platforms account for nearly 30%. These "platform workers" work an average of 44.7 hours per week, 5 hours more than traditional workers, but their average hourly income is 12% lower.

BBC Brazil News and other media reported today that the average monthly income of platform workers is about 3,147 Brazilian dollars (about NT$20,000), which is not far from traditional workers. However, because the working hours are significantly longer, the actual hourly wages are lower. It is worth noting that nearly 40% of workers rely entirely on a single platform. Once their rights are suspended or the platform changes its rules, their livelihoods will face a serious impact.

IBGE analysis shows that platform operators not only match jobs, but are also deeply involved in salary calculation, customer allocation and payment methods, which shows that although workers are nominally self-employed, they are actually highly controlled by the platform.

This shift in platform labor patterns does not appear to be unique to Brazil. Taiwan's labor matching platform Worky has also observed a similar trend. The proportion of atypical employment is increasing year by year. Although some workers have no fixed employer, they maintain close to full-time working hours and income, indicating that "flexible work" is gradually becoming the main source of income. Among them, women are the main force in flexible employment, and balancing family and work has become the main reason for investing in the platform.

The cases of Brazil and Taiwan highlight common problems in the global labor market. Although digital platform work provides high flexibility and a channel for quick income, it also comes with risks such as long working hours, lack of security, and high dependence. How governments of various countries seek a balance between maintaining market flexibility and protecting labor rights will be a key issue that cannot be avoided. (Editor: Zhang Zhixuan)