Related to the collaborative, sharing or gig economy, this is a business model where activities are facilitated by creating an open and online platform for the provision of services often provided either digitally or on-the-ground by private individuals. Emerging as a new form of organizing work and employment opportunities via platforms, it involves three categories of actors: (i) the platform (often large corporations); (ii) the service provider and (iii) the user/client. The relation between the platform and service provider is often unclear in terms of their employment status.

An employee sent by his/her employer to carry out a cross-border service in another EU Member State on a temporary basis under the freedom of provision of services. For example, a service provider may win a contract in another country and send his employees there to carry out the contract.  Posted workers are entitled by law to a set of core rights in force in the host Member State which include, for example, minimum rates of pay/remuneration, maximum work periods and minimum rest periods, minimum paid annual leave, occupational safety and health, etc.