Digital platforms have become a defining feature of Southeast Asia (SEA)’s social and economic transformation. Rapid digitalisation has driven significant growth in the region’s digital economy, now contributing between 6% to 23% of GDP across the SEA-6 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). These platforms have reshaped access to goods, services, and employment, accelerating inclusion and regional connectivity,increasingly playing a central role in how people work, do business, and participate in the economy.
One major shift has been the transformation of traditional work structures. Digital platform work which is often task-based, flexible, and digitally mediated has reconfigured employment models across the region. With 78% of SEA’s labour force working informally (compared to the global average of 61%), these platforms have tapped into existing informal labour dynamics while also enabling the rise of portfolio careers that span freelance projects, part-time roles, and side businesses. At the same time, the growing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is disrupting traditional job roles and workflows. In response to these developments, the Tech for Good Institute (TFGI) convened a virtual roundtable to explore the evolving nature of work in the digital age, bringing together stakeholders from across SEA to examine governance challenges, opportunities, and the role of global standards as reference points for local policy.
Key takeaways:
- Digital platforms have shaped Southeast Asia’s economy and society in tangible ways
Digital platforms have created new livelihood opportunities and reshaped access to work across the region. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, platforms such as ride-hailing and food delivery services provided crucial income streams for workers facing disruptions in traditional sectors. These platforms have also reduced barriers to entry for many, enabling individuals outside highly urbanised areas to participate in the digital economy through automated onboarding and minimal infrastructure requirements. Micro-entrepreneurs and Small Medium Entreprises (SMEs) have leveraged e-commerce and digital services to access broader markets, sometimes beyond their national borders. This digital inclusion has been especially impactful in rural and peri-urban areas, allowing individuals and businesses to connect with digital marketplaces and labour exchanges, and to transcend geographical constraints.
The rise of digital platform work and portfolio careers offers new avenues for economic participation and empowerment in SEA. Workers can now take advantage of flexible, task-based, and remote work opportunities that align with personal preferences, lifestyle needs, or caregiving responsibilities. For many, platform work provides a pathway to enter or re-enter the labour market, generate supplementary income, and develop entrepreneurial ventures with lower capital and infrastructure requirements. Portfolio careers—where individuals engage in multiple part-time roles, freelance projects, or digital side businesses—are enabling more diverse and resilient income streams.
- The rise of digital platform work powered by emerging technologies presents new opportunities and challenges
At the same time, these shifts introduce governance and policy complexities. SEA’s high informal work rate means that many workers operate outside traditional social protection schemes, increasing the need to create flexible and hybrid programmes to better reflect this reality. The increasing use of AI and algorithmic systems in organising work tasks and managing workers introduces further opportunities and challenges. A recent study by LinkedIn on transformation to the SEA workforce estimates that AI could contribute an additional US$1 trillion to SEA’s GDP by 2030, representing a 13% uplift. However, the same study indicates that 57% of job roles in the region could be either augmented or disrupted by generative AI, affecting approximately 164 million workers.
These trends underscore the importance of updating regulatory frameworks and investing in new pathways for social protection, skills development, and worker voice—ensuring that the benefits of digital work are equitably shared and sustainably realised. For instance, sustainability models such as Asset Based Community Development, can be deployed so that communities can drive upskilling efforts by identifying and mobilizing existing but often unrecognized assets.
- While global standards can serve as reference points, localised and fit-for-purpose governance is needed to address the realities of digital platform work in Southeast Asia
While global standards and best practices can provide useful frameworks, the effectiveness of policy responses depends on their alignment with local realities. Roundtable participants underscored the importance of adopting governance approaches that reflect SEA’s socioeconomic diversity, high levels of informality, and varied levels of digital maturity across the region. Localised strategies—such as co-regulation between governments and platforms, the promotion of voluntary social insurance schemes, targeted digital upskilling programs, and inclusive policymaking processes—are gaining traction across the region. These efforts are increasingly embedded within national development agendas and aim to build more inclusive and forward-looking labour governance systems. For instance, Malaysia has set up the national Sharing Economy Committee to train and verify gig workers, as well as create job placements in high value industries in line with the nation’s economic development plans. Participants agreed that fostering dialogue between stakeholders—governments, platforms, workers, and civil society—is critical in designing policies that are equitable, responsive, and sustainable.
This discussion highlights the importance of focusing on local approaches to governance responses, emphasising the need to build solutions from the ground up that reflect socio-economic and developmental diversity. While international benchmarks and guidelines can provide valuable reference points, the region’s unique contexts require solutions that are hyperlocal and co-created with stakeholders. Economic and labour strategies must prioritise inclusivity and tailored to address the diversity, not only across countries but within national boundaries. Processes such as co-regulation and consultative policymaking are key to ensuring that these strategies balance multiple goals, including fostering innovation, enabling upskilling for continued productivity, and enhancing worker security. Such local-driven approaches contribute to building national digital economies that align with and advance the development goals of each SEA country.
