Invisible No More: The Making of the Malaysian Gig Workers Act

The world of work is rapidly changing. Across the decades, struggles have been pursued for better working conditions. But not everyone has benefited from the social protections that have become the legally binding standards for core workers. Today labour markets are in transition and employment for many people has become less secure. This is marked by the emergence of the gig or platform economy—widely seen as the inevitable shape of things to come. As a result, millions of gig workers in Malaysia have not been covered by the minimum wage, sick leave, health insurance or social security. They are the underpaid, overworked and precarious labourers who underpin the digital society. In this context, the government decided the situation should not continue. In Invisible No More, Steven Sim Chee Keong offers a compelling account of the making of the pathbreaking Gig Workers Act 2025, setting out an agenda for a future of secure work and making the case that protection for all is in fact the pathway to real, sustained prosperity. The book takes us into the vital behind-the-scenes work that went into the making of the act—an exemplary effort in participatory democracy. It also outlines the major provisions that will enhance the lives of gig workers. Above all, Steven Sim Chee Keong makes the ethical case that, in a turbulent world, it is possible to strive for human dignity and social justice, where no one is invisible.