13 - Digitalisation and Disruption of Labour Relations in Estonia

Summary

The use of different digital means of communication gives employers and employees in Estonia different opportunities to regulate work. Although the number of employees who are using digital means of communication is growing, the majority of employees still prefer to be employed under traditional employment contracts. The number of employees or workers with new employment forms (e.g. platform work) is not declining, but it is difficult to predict how quickly the number of such employees is growing. A survey carried out by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) showed that, for example, the share of platform employees in Latvia is only 1 per cent of the total number of employees. At the same time, it has been claimed that in Estonia, approximately 7 per cent of employees regularly use platform work to earn an income. In addition to platform work, other means have been used by employers to better regulate employment relationships, for example telework.