Singapore played a significant role at the International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS)’s historical 100th anniversary, held in Geneva from 11th to 20th October 2023. The ICLS is an important platform for standard setting in labour statistics and is convened by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) every five years. The conference is attended by representatives from 184 countries. Decisions at the conference shape labour statistics and set international standards for key labour market indicators such as unemployment, income, and employment conditions.

Despite the rapid growth in Digital Platform Employment (DPE) in many countries, there are currently no internationally agreed concepts, definitions, and data collection standards on this form of employment and its workers. This makes it difficult to compare data across countries, or even within the same country. In response, MOM and the International Labour Organization (ILO) embarked on a joint effort to translate global research on DPE into international statistical and methodological recommendations.