Gig Workers Act 2025 comes into force, but experts warn its success hinges on precise implementation to ensure real, not just symbolic, protections for workers.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s long-awaited Gig Workers Act 2025 (Act 872) comes into force tomorrow, marking a major step toward formalising gig work — but industry players warn its impact could fall short without precise, evidence-based implementation.

While widely hailed as a breakthrough for the country’s digital workforce, concerns are mounting that critical gaps could undermine the law from day one if left unaddressed.

Ahead of its enforcement, transport think tank MY Mobility Vision and cross-sector coalition of industry partners, government agencies, academics and gig worker groups have released a policy roadmap aimed at closing the gap between the Act’s ambitions and on-the-ground realities.

At the centre of the debate is a fundamental question: what gig workers actually take home.

MY Mobility Vision executive director Rahman Hussin said the current framework fails to account for the true cost burden borne by workers.

“Expenses such as fuel, maintenance, insurance, platform commissions and social protection contributions consuming up to 70 to 80% of gross earnings.

“Policies anchored on gross income risk overstating what workers actually earn and understating the protection they truly need.

“That is not worker protection — it is the appearance of it,” he said.

Rahman warned that key institutional and technical components remain unresolved even as the law takes effect.

“Act 872 provides the right framework, but the Consultative Council is not yet formed, the earnings methodology is undefined, and implementation begins tomorrow.

“The Government now faces a clear choice — enforce the letter of the law and hope for the best, or get the engineering details right and ensure this law actually changes lives,” he said.

The roadmap outlines 10 recommendations to translate the law into meaningful protections, including establishing a transparent and representative Consultative Council, shifting to net earnings as the policy benchmark, and introducing dynamic, data-driven earnings floors that reflect real-world costs.

It also calls for clearer rules on worker deactivation and dispute resolution, phased implementation of mandatory social protection, and stronger transparency on algorithms that influence job allocation and pay.

Rahman stressed that without these measures, the Act risks becoming a paper safeguard rather than a real one.

“Gig workers do not need symbolic protection.

“They need a system that reflects real costs, ensures fair earnings, and treats governance institutions as more than a box-ticking exercise.”

MY Mobility Vision has submitted its full policy paper to relevant government agencies and indicated its readiness to provide technical input once the Consultative Council is established.

“Malaysia’s gig workers have waited long enough.

“The question is no longer whether to act. It is whether the act of acting will be done well.”

A landmark law for gig workers, the Act is expected to be officially enforced tomorrow by the Human Resources Ministry.

 The Sun Malaysia