The article examines the process of the development of a new form of labor relations, in which digital platforms, employers, employees, and the state are involved. Working with the platform as an intermediary is one of the modern forms of non-standard employment. The platform can also be considered as one of the elements of the labor market infrastructure designed to create favorable conditions for its subjects to find a counterpart more efficiently, quickly, and reliably. The author compares three approaches to the differentiation of employment platforms. The first approach takes into account who the platform is looking for: the contractor (employee) or the client (employer). The second approach is based on the type of interaction between the employee and the client: is there face-to-face contact between them, or do they communicate remotely? The third approach, which focuses on the degree of control the platform has over the employee during recruitment (selection) and job evaluation, allows to determine in which cases work on the platform can be classified as wage labor and when it is closer to self-employment. The main problem of platform employment is the lack of social protection mechanisms for platform employees. The author shows that such protection is difficult to implement in relation to different groups of employees represented on platforms: self-employed and individual businessmen, as well as individuals working on the basis of a civil contract. A new, comprehensive model of social guarantees for platform employees of all categories and groups is needed. This model should take into account the differences between them and ensures a reasonable balance of interests of all participants in labor relations.