At the dawn of the 21st century, freelance work through online platforms emerged as a new phenomenon, gradually becoming a distinctive feature of the digital economy characterised by remote platform work, also known as online freelancing and online gig work. What is the role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work? To what extent do freelancing and online gig work contribute to the reduction of both the unemployment rate and the working poverty rate in a poor province like the Eastern Cape? The study employs Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS), General Household Survey (GHS), and Income Dynamic Survey (IDS) to explore the implications of the gig economy in terms of the employment potentials for the Eastern Cape Province. Understanding freelance work and digital labour platforms in the context of employment will contribute towards better policy and regulation for these new forms of work and support job creation in the Eastern Cape.