Croatia was the first in the EU to comprehensively regulate platform work, but now faces pressure from unions seeking to eliminate intermediaries, while work registration expands to the construction sector.
Croatia, which as early as 2023 was among the first, and according to the Ministry of Labor the first in the European Union, to comprehensively regulate platform work, now faces new demands from unions. They are calling for the removal of intermediaries, so-called aggregators, from the system of work via digital platforms, which they consider to be unfavorable to workers.
According to official data from the Ministry of Labor, 21,704 people worked on platforms during 2025. Four platforms - Uber, Bolt, Wolt, and Glovo - employed them. Workers are formally employed by the aggregators themselves, of which there are more than 2,300.
Employment contracts, whether for full-time or part-time work, are most commonly used to hire younger individuals, with the number of men being higher than the number of women. Domestic workers account for a larger share compared to third-country nationals.
Croatia has introduced a unique model that includes platforms, aggregators, and workers. Due to the new European Directive on platform work, the state is now upgrading this model. Unlike other countries, Croatia has a Register of Digital Work Platforms and Aggregators.
Since 2024, the state has had data on platform workers and publishes it publicly once a year. The unique electronic work registration system (JEER), already introduced for platform work, is now being extended to the construction sector with the aim of more effectively combating undeclared work.
Food delivery and taxi services are the two main jobs for which workers are engaged through platforms. Unions are now pressuring to remove aggregators from the system, believing they are unfavorable to workers. Specific details of their demands were not provided in the source.
