On October 14, the eighth lecture of the "2021 Series of Lectures on Global Labor Market Flexibilization and Digital Economy Employment Regulation", organized by the CULR and co-organized by the Labor Relations Branch of Chinese Association of Human Resource Development, was held online. Irene Zhou, deputy director of International Labor Affairs at Employment and Social Development Canada, was invited as the main guest speaker to deliver a presentation titled "Canada's Platform/Gig Economy: Challenges and Labor Policy Responses". Over 140 experts, scholars, and students from both inside and outside the CULR attended the lecture online.

During the lecture, Deputy Director Irene Zhou took a global perspective on the development of digital labor platforms and emphasized the importance of correctly classifying gig work, expanding and adjusting policies and legal frameworks when necessary, and ensuring gig workers receive full social security benefits. She mentioned that gig workers account for an increasing proportion of Canada's workforce, about 8%-10% of the total workforce. Thanks to the flexible employment methods, there are abundant job opportunities and low entry barriers of the gig economy. However, along with opportunities and advantages, the gig economy also faced many challenges, such as a lack of necessary social security for gig workers, collective negotiation rights, and labor standard protections. In response, the Government of Canada introduced a series of labor policies, with the most typical being the policy recommendations made by the Federal Labor Standards Modernization Expert Panel in 2019 for five key areas: federal minimum wage, labor standard protections for gig workers, disconnection from work-related electronic devices outside working hours, the ability to enjoy and transfer social security benefits, and collective voice for non-unionized workers. She pointed out that in the 2021 Federal Budget of Canada, the government was committed to legislative reforms to promote the healthy and orderly development of the gig economy, including proposing amendments to the Canada Labour Code to effectively protect the labor rights of gig workers, including digital labor platform workers.

During the discussion session, Professor Li Kungang from the Law School of Anhui University expressed his appreciation for Deputy Director Irene Zhou's excellent lecture, thanked the CULR for organizing the lecture and providing learning and exchange opportunities, and shared insights and experiences on the legislative purposes and significance of labor law, the development process of "Chinese characteristics" in labor law, and compared and analyzed the differences in gig regulation and protection between China and Canada. He also made insightful comments and responses on the transition of gig workers in China to a combination of online and offline employment, the platform's promotion of economic development, and the issues and challenges it brings. He stated that the CULR's series of lectures was an important platform and window for academic dialogue, exchange, and mutual learning among countries during the pandemic, and participants have greatly benefited from the inspiring lectures.

During the interactive session, several scholars discussed in-depth with Deputy Director Irene Zhou on topics such as legislative reforms in the Canadian labor code, dependency on self-employed contractors, criteria for determining labor relations, and the market's self-regulating role in employment relationships in the gig economy. The online exchange was lively and engaging.

Irene Zhou is currently the Deputy Director of International Labour Affairs at the Employment and Social Development Canada. She has previously served as the Director of Labour Dispute Resolution at the Canadian Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Strategic Policy and Information Branch. She is a spokesperson for the Canadian government on a range of issues related to international labor organizations, including the transition from informal to formal economy, fundamental principles and rights at work, and decent work in global supply chains. From September 2018 to June 2020, she served as a labor law expert for the China and Mongolia Office of the International Labour Organization, and authored a research report on the protection of the rights of workers in China's digital labor platforms.

(International Office of Cooperation and Exchange)