Legal Framework of Platform Employment in Russia: Outcomes and Prospects of Reform

The last day of July 2025 was marked by the adoption of Federal Law No. 289-FZ “On Certain Issues of Regulating the Platform Economy in the Russian Federation,” fulfilling a long-standing need. Back in 2024, in a message to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the President of the Russian Federation highlighted the strategic priority of developing digital platforms in all key sectors of the country by 2030. Platformization proved to be relevant, effective and, consequently, highly demanded in all areas, including employment. According to experts, the Federal Law “On Employment in the Russian Federation” dated December 12, 2023, No. 565-FZ required revision to eliminate certain vulnerabilities. However, the legislators took a different course and adopted the law in question. In this article, the author carries out a brief review of the legal framework governing platform employment under the adopted law, taking into account current scientific concepts of platform employment. The research was conducted using available sources of information about platform employment, legislative acts, and publications in professional media. Legal norms were examined using the formal-legal method of analysis. The systems method was applied to generalize the academic doctrine and to assess the concepts introduced into the law in view of established perspectives within the field and legislative drafting practices. Among the positive aspects of the legislation under analysis are the introduction of a conceptual framework, including the notion of a “partner of an intermediary digital platform,” the classification of partners, the possibility of rating parties, and clarification of their rights and duties. At the same time, the text of the law does not provide a sufficiently clear classification of platforms, which represents a shortcoming of the reform. In conclusion, the author notes a positive trajectory in the development of legislation on platform employment and emphasized the need to adopt subordinate regulatory acts to further develop this institution. 

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