Abstract

The emergence of digital labour platforms has increased the potential risk of forced labour arising from algorithmic management mechanisms, rating systems, and automated account deactivation without meaningful human involvement. Against this backdrop, the ILO Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, 2026 (No. 193), adopted on 12 June 2026, marks an important development in international labour law in the context of digital transformation. Although the Convention does not directly regulate forced labour, it establishes legal safeguards that may help mitigate the risk of forced labour in working environments governed by algorithmic management. This article analyses typical indicators of forced labour on digital labour platforms based on the ILO’s existing indicators of forced labour and examines Convention No. 193 in a complementary relationship with ILO Conventions No. 29 and No. 105. On that basis, the article proposes directions for improving Vietnamese law on the prevention and elimination of forced labour.

Keywords: Convention No. 193, digital labour platforms, forced labour.