Automation, artificial intelligence, algorithmic management and digitisation are transforming how transport work is organised, controlled and performed across global supply chains. Risks arise when new technology is deployed without meaningful worker involvement. Algorithmic management systems and data-driven management models are increasingly determining work allocation, routes, workloads, pay and access to work – intensifying workloads, reducing autonomy and imposing constant surveillance.
In platform-based transport, opaque digital systems control task allocation, pricing and deactivation with little to no transparency or human oversight, compounding the misclassification that excludes workers from labour protections and collective bargaining. This increases workers’ exposure to excessive working hours, income instability and safety risks.
ITF research on airports, ports and logistics shows new technology is frequently introduced alongside workforce reductions, intensifying work and increasing safety pressures when operational realities are overlooked. Where worker expertise is excluded from system design, safety margins narrow and critical operational knowledge is lost, creating new and often less visible safety risks.
Technological change can also be used to weaken trade unions and collective bargaining by fragmenting workforces and reclassifying workers, removing one of the most effective mechanisms for identifying and addressing risk. Women transport workers, and young and older workers face heightened risk of job displacement, unsafe work intensification and exclusion from secure employment.
Failure to manage technological risk carries legal, operational and regulatory risks. Companies must assess how digitalisation, automation and algorithmic management affect workloads, safety, income security, employment status and worker autonomy – including risk assessment for gender-impacts and impacts on young workers.
Algorithmic management systems must be transparent, accountable and subject to human oversight. Technology must not drive unsafe work or income dependency through opaque rating or deactivation systems. Platform business models must not misclassify workers, weaken collective bargaining or circumvent labour protections, and should align with the ITF Gig Economy Principles. All workers, regardless of contractual status, must retain access to occupational safety and health protections, social protection and trade union representation.
Companies should engage with the trade unions to identify risks, shape design and implementation, and ensure that safety, job security, working conditions and rights are fully assessed and safeguarded. System design must involve diverse workers, trade unions and experts, so that varied identities, experiences and risks are reflected in the systems themselves