The relevance of the study lies in the fact that today the infrastructural development of the labor market is associated primarily with digital platforms, which are the main tool for balancing supply and demand in terms of employer and jobseeker activity. The emergence of digital platforms has changed the organization and structure of the labor market. The coronavirus pandemic has further contributed to the development of employment on service-oriented and web-based platforms. Russian business, in order to reduce its costs, began to willingly use the services of freelancers. However, the regime of the self-employed, today, does not imply social guarantees, the consolidation of which in Russian legislation will contribute not only to an increase in the number of «legal» selfemployed, but also to the country’s economy as a whole. The article reveals the role of platform employment as the main tool for compensating for structural problems or shifts when capable, but not employed people appear in society. The main advantages and disadvantages of digital platforms for workers, employers and the economy as a whole are characterized. The aim of this work is to study platform employment as the main trend in the development of the labor market in Russia, to identify the advantages and risks of platform employment, as well as tools for its regulation.